Watershed Advisors

Did you know that more than 70% of teachers have a second job just to get by? Teacher quality is one of the most talked-about issues in education, but we don’t talk nearly enough about the working conditions that make it possible. In this week’s Delta, Jessica Baghian sits down with Heather Peske, President of the National Council on Teacher Quality, who puts it plainly: If we are serious about improving outcomes for students, we have to be equally serious about the experience of the adults who make those outcomes possible. This conversation takes a deep dive into the day-to-day decisions teachers are making—from housing to parental leave—and what states can do differently to support them. Watch (or listen) to the full conversation below:

ICYMI, Watershed’s Kunjan Narechania joined the podcast Where the Schools Went to reflect on what we can learn from New Orleans’ education system 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. Now, the series has been named a finalist for the Webby Awards in two categories: Documentary and Health, Science & Education. It’s a powerful, nuanced story, one that centers students and communities, and examines decisions that continue to shape education systems today. We’re proud to have been a small part of it, and excited to see this work getting the recognition it deserves! If you haven’t listened yet, check it out: https://lnkd.in/eR5Jt4u6 And support the series by casting a vote for the People’s Voice Award: https://lnkd.in/eUxXJ-Cw

It’s a new week—and a special one for the Watershed team. This week, we're celebrating five years of partnerships, progress, and pushing toward better outcomes for all kids. More reflections to come soon. But for now, thank you for being part of the journey. #WeAreWatershed

Happy Friday, indeed! We're pleased to welcome Aubrey Cortez to Watershed Advisors as an Analyst on our K–12 Systems team 🎉 Aubrey brings experience in federal policy, interagency coordination, and high-level program operations across government, nonprofit, and private-sector environments. Before joining Watershed, she worked at the U.S. Department of State and WilmerHale, where she supported congressional inquiries, policy development, and strategic response efforts. She is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at Georgetown University and holds a B.A. in Politics and German from the University of Dallas. She is also the founder of the Dallas Refugee Project, a nonprofit supporting refugee integration through education and community engagement. Originally from Texas, she now calls Arlington, Va., home. We're so glad to have you on the team, Aubrey! #WeAreWatershed

If the future of work is changing, the future of school has to change with it. This week in The Delta, we’re continuing our Women’s History Month series with Frances Messano, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund. She joins Kunjan Narechania for a conversation about what it means to rethink the K–12 model for a world that looks very different from the one our current system was built for, while still doing right by the students who are in schools today. Watch (or listen) to the full Delta conversation below.

The Delta is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! On the podcast edition of The Delta, you’ll get to know the experts leading the biggest ideas in education, like Angela Duckworth, John Bailey, and—new this week—Lindsay Fryer. To celebrate Women’s History Month, new episodes are coming weekly. Subscribe to The Delta on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode! 🎧Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ecRUguk5 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e2vjXjgh More conversations coming soon.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re launching a video series with some of the incredible women leading education today. We’re kicking off the series with the incomparable Lindsay Fryer, founder and principal at Lodestone DC. Before founding her own consulting business, Lindsay worked on Capitol Hill and was instrumental in negotiating one of the most influential education bills in recent history: the Every Student Succeeds Act. This week, she sat down with Jessica Baghian to unpack what’s happening in federal education policy today and what it means for states. Watch (or read) the full Delta below.

Last week, I had the chance to join The Johns Hopkins University for a conversation about the changing role of states in education. As more responsibility shifts to their shoulders, state leaders play an increasingly important role in shaping what students and teachers experience every day in classrooms. I really appreciated the conversation with Dean Christopher Morphew and the chance to reflect on lessons from my time at the Louisiana Department of Education, along with the work we’re doing now at Watershed Advisors supporting states across the country. If you’d like to watch the full conversation, you can check out the livestream here: https://lnkd.in/gVcy_KHd

In February, our team visited a school in Arkansas that went from an F to a B on the state’s school rating scale in less than five years. How did they do it? No gimmicks. No fancy interventions. Just a relentless focus on implementation, year after year. This week in the Delta, Jessica Baghian explains why getting the basics right is so important—and the key questions state leaders can ask to understand what’s really happening on the ground in classrooms.