This case study places the Dell Young Leaders programme in context, maps the programme model, describes the programme impact and challenges, and outlines opportunities for key stakeholders to leverage learning from the programme to help spur needed systemic changes. The country faces urgent social and economic imperatives to ensure that a university degree and a trajectory of professional employment are not reserved for the privileged few. In reality, no bursary programme will ever be able to serve all the qualified students in need. This underscores the need for invested parties to consider taking steps to help first-generation, economically disadvantaged students succeed at university – and beyond. These steps involve minimising financial, situational, and psychosocial stressors that can contribute to a student's failure to graduate.

This case study places the Dell Young Leaders programme in context, maps the programme model, describes the programme impact and challenges, and outlines opportunities for key stakeholders to leverage learning from the programme to help spur needed systemic changes. The country faces urgent social and economic imperatives to ensure that a university degree and a trajectory of professional employment are not reserved for the privileged few. In reality, no bursary programme will ever be able to serve all the qualified students in need. This underscores the need for invested parties to consider taking steps to help first-generation, economically disadvantaged students succeed at university – and beyond. These steps involve minimising financial, situational, and psychosocial stressors that can contribute to a student's failure to graduate.

This case study places the Dell Young Leaders programme in context, maps the programme model, describes the programme impact and challenges, and outlines opportunities for key stakeholders to leverage learning from the programme to help spur needed systemic changes. The country faces urgent social and economic imperatives to ensure that a university degree and a trajectory of professional employment are not reserved for the privileged few. In reality, no bursary programme will ever be able to serve all the qualified students in need. This underscores the need for invested parties to consider taking steps to help first-generation, economically disadvantaged students succeed at university – and beyond. These steps involve minimising financial, situational, and psychosocial stressors that can contribute to a student's failure to graduate.

This interim report presents estimates of the overall effect that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative has had on student outcomes through the 2013– 2014 school year. The aim of the initiative is to encourage and support strategic human-capital reforms that are intended to improve the ways in which "teachers are recruited, evaluated, supported, retained, and rewarded" (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2011). The cornerstone of the reform is the development and implementation of teacherevaluation systems that are based on student achievement growth; structured classroom observations by principals or trained peers; and other inputs, such as student or parent surveys. These evaluations are used to guide personnel practices in three broad areas—staffing, professional development, and compensation and career-ladder decisions—with the goal of giving every student access to highly effective teachers. Staffing practices include such activities as expedited recruiting and incentivizing effective teachers to work in high-need schools; professionaldevelopment practices include feedback, coaching, and mentoring related to teachers' identified strengths and weaknesses; and compensation practices include monetary rewards for effective teachers and incentives for teaching in high-need positions.

This initiative is being implemented in sites that the foundation chose, including three large urban districts and four charter management organizations (CMOs) that are a part of the College-Ready Promise. The districts are Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) in Florida, Memphis City Schools (MCS) in Tennessee,2 and Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) in Pennsylvania. The CMOs are the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools, Green Dot Public Schools, and Partnerships to Uplift Communities Schools. All sites have implemented most of the elements of the initiative to some degree, although there is variation by site. Enough change has occurred that it is reasonable to test whether there is evidence of improved students' outcomes. This report does not include results for any of the CMOs because student achievement data for the 2013–2014 school year are not available in California, where most of these schools are located.

This interim report presents estimates of the overall effect that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative has had on student outcomes through the 2013– 2014 school year. The aim of the initiative is to encourage and support strategic human-capital reforms that are intended to improve the ways in which "teachers are recruited, evaluated, supported, retained, and rewarded" (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2011). The cornerstone of the reform is the development and implementation of teacherevaluation systems that are based on student achievement growth; structured classroom observations by principals or trained peers; and other inputs, such as student or parent surveys. These evaluations are used to guide personnel practices in three broad areas—staffing, professional development, and compensation and career-ladder decisions—with the goal of giving every student access to highly effective teachers. Staffing practices include such activities as expedited recruiting and incentivizing effective teachers to work in high-need schools; professionaldevelopment practices include feedback, coaching, and mentoring related to teachers' identified strengths and weaknesses; and compensation practices include monetary rewards for effective teachers and incentives for teaching in high-need positions.

This initiative is being implemented in sites that the foundation chose, including three large urban districts and four charter management organizations (CMOs) that are a part of the College-Ready Promise. The districts are Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) in Florida, Memphis City Schools (MCS) in Tennessee,2 and Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) in Pennsylvania. The CMOs are the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools, Green Dot Public Schools, and Partnerships to Uplift Communities Schools. All sites have implemented most of the elements of the initiative to some degree, although there is variation by site. Enough change has occurred that it is reasonable to test whether there is evidence of improved students' outcomes. This report does not include results for any of the CMOs because student achievement data for the 2013–2014 school year are not available in California, where most of these schools are located.

This interim report presents estimates of the overall effect that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative has had on student outcomes through the 2013– 2014 school year. The aim of the initiative is to encourage and support strategic human-capital reforms that are intended to improve the ways in which "teachers are recruited, evaluated, supported, retained, and rewarded" (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2011). The cornerstone of the reform is the development and implementation of teacherevaluation systems that are based on student achievement growth; structured classroom observations by principals or trained peers; and other inputs, such as student or parent surveys. These evaluations are used to guide personnel practices in three broad areas—staffing, professional development, and compensation and career-ladder decisions—with the goal of giving every student access to highly effective teachers. Staffing practices include such activities as expedited recruiting and incentivizing effective teachers to work in high-need schools; professionaldevelopment practices include feedback, coaching, and mentoring related to teachers' identified strengths and weaknesses; and compensation practices include monetary rewards for effective teachers and incentives for teaching in high-need positions.

This initiative is being implemented in sites that the foundation chose, including three large urban districts and four charter management organizations (CMOs) that are a part of the College-Ready Promise. The districts are Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) in Florida, Memphis City Schools (MCS) in Tennessee,2 and Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) in Pennsylvania. The CMOs are the Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools, Green Dot Public Schools, and Partnerships to Uplift Communities Schools. All sites have implemented most of the elements of the initiative to some degree, although there is variation by site. Enough change has occurred that it is reasonable to test whether there is evidence of improved students' outcomes. This report does not include results for any of the CMOs because student achievement data for the 2013–2014 school year are not available in California, where most of these schools are located.

The Oregon Community Foundation has funded early childhood scholarships at Portland State University's Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education (OCCD) since 2002. In 2003, the Betty Gray Early Childhood Training and Certification (BGECTC) Scholarship Program was launched, building on the previous program.

The Oregon Community Foundation posed the following questions in its request for the evaluation of the BGECTC Scholarship Program: 1. What are the characteristics of scholarship recipients and the populations they are serving? 2. How do scholarship recipients compare to the entire child care workforce? 3. To what extent does the receipt of a scholarship predict an increase in providers' professional development while controlling for provider characteristics? 4. To what extent does the receipt of a scholarship predict an increase in provider's professional development for minorities or for those whose primary language is not English?

The Oregon Community Foundation has funded early childhood scholarships at Portland State University's Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education (OCCD) since 2002. In 2003, the Betty Gray Early Childhood Training and Certification (BGECTC) Scholarship Program was launched, building on the previous program.

The Oregon Community Foundation posed the following questions in its request for the evaluation of the BGECTC Scholarship Program: 1. What are the characteristics of scholarship recipients and the populations they are serving? 2. How do scholarship recipients compare to the entire child care workforce? 3. To what extent does the receipt of a scholarship predict an increase in providers' professional development while controlling for provider characteristics? 4. To what extent does the receipt of a scholarship predict an increase in provider's professional development for minorities or for those whose primary language is not English?