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  • When the Contract Tells You What to Track

    When the Contract Tells You What to Track

    Outcomes based contracting promises that districts pay for results, not just services. But that promise only holds if districts and providers can see what's happening while there's still time to act. Brittany Miller, Executive Director of the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, and Justin Serrano, CEO of Littera Education, examine what it takes to build data infrastructure that makes contract terms visible in real time—and what becomes possible when accountability is legible at the speed of implementation, not the speed of publication.

  • Beyond the Buzz: What Outcomes Based Contracting Actually Changes in Edtech

    Beyond the Buzz: What Outcomes Based Contracting Actually Changes in Edtech

    In this Government Technology article, Julia Gilban-Cohen examines what outcomes based contracting for edtech actually changes in practice, drawing on findings from the Digital Promise report. Rather than framing OBC as a money-back guarantee, the piece explores how the model creates mutual accountability between districts and vendors, encourages districts…

  • Schools Are Paying for Ed Tech That Students Never Use – Could A New Contract Model Change That?

    Schools Are Paying for Ed Tech That Students Never Use – Could A New Contract Model Change That?

    In this article from The 74, senior writer Greg Toppo examines how outcomes based contracting is reshaping the way districts evaluate and purchase edtech. Drawing on findings from the recently released Digital Promise report, Toppo explores how the model drives higher implementation rates, greater instructional coherence, and a…

  • 4 Key Ways To Improve Outcomes-Based Contracts For Intervention Products

    4 Key Ways To Improve Outcomes-Based Contracts For Intervention Products

    In this EdWeek Market Brief article, Emma Kate Fittes examines findings from a new Digital Promise report on outcomes based contracting for edtech interventions. Drawing on site visits and interviews with OBC coaches, district leaders, and providers, the report identifies four key steps for providers navigating OBCs: allow more time…

  • How Districts Are Experimenting With Outcomes Based Contracts in Edtech

    How Districts Are Experimenting With Outcomes Based Contracts in Edtech

    This K12 Dive article examines how outcomes based contracting is reshaping the way districts evaluate edtech investments, featuring findings from a new report by Digital Promise. Highlights include how Fresno USD’s outcomes based contract led to regular data-driven check-ins with the provider, stronger implementation, and the district paying only for…

  • What K12 Providers Get Wrong About Outcomes Based Contracting (And Four ‘Aha’ Moments That Change That)

    What K12 Providers Get Wrong About Outcomes Based Contracting (And Four ‘Aha’ Moments That Change That)

    "Too risky." "Payment depends on perfection." "Is the upside worth the coordination?" These are the concerns providers bring to the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting when they first encounter the model—and they're understandable. Jillian Evans unpacks four misconceptions that get in the way, and shows how strong outcomes based contracts are built to be fair, transparent, and designed so providers can earn more for delivering real results.

  • 3 Takeaways on Tutoring From the Accelerate Convening

    3 Takeaways on Tutoring From the Accelerate Convening

    Tutoring works best when implementation works. This blog shares three key takeaways from the recent Accelerate convening, connecting research on dosage, instructional alignment, and participation to the Standards of Excellence for Outcomes Based Contracting™: High-Dosage Tutoring. The takeaway is practical: districts can turn evidence into clear expectations, stronger partnerships, and more reliable student results.

  • The Design Gap: Why ‘Good Enough’ Consumer Tech Isn’t Good Enough For Schools

    The Design Gap: Why ‘Good Enough’ Consumer Tech Isn’t Good Enough For Schools

    In this Forbes Nonprofit Council article, Erin Mote examines the growing divide between consumer AI tools and technology designed for learning. The piece highlights why districts need stronger procurement practices and why the Standards of Excellence for Outcomes Based Contracting™ matter when evaluating tools for implementation, evidence, and measurable…

  • Outcomes Based Contracts: Centering Learning on Continuous Student Growth

    Outcomes Based Contracts: Centering Learning on Continuous Student Growth

    In outcomes based contracting in education, districts and providers share accountability for student results. This EdWeb article explains how tying payment to measurable learning goals changes provider relationships, strengthens implementation, and helps schools sustain interventions beyond short-term funding cycles. Read More…

  • 2,739 Ed Tech Tools Later, Where Are the Outcomes?

    2,739 Ed Tech Tools Later, Where Are the Outcomes?

    Too many tools, not enough results. Districts now manage thousands of edtech products each year, yet student outcomes often remain unchanged. As budgets tighten, leaders need more than features and promises. They need clarity about what works. The Center for Outcomes based contracting shifts the conversation by aligning contracts to measurable…

  • Photo of man and woman talking in an office.

    5 Big Questions From 2025 EdWeek Market Brief Summit, Answered

    5 Big Questions From the 2025 EdWeek Market Brief Summit, Answered, EdWeek Market Brief. This follow-up piece pulls together big insights from the Summit, including the Center’s growing influence in shaping how districts define impact.

  • Student participating supplemental learning.

    How The OBC Model Can Deliver Meaningful Learning Opportunities

    Outcomes based contracting transforms how students experience learning. Explore how tying funding to measurable results creates conditions for high-quality intervention implementation, continuous improvement, and data-driven adjustments that deliver more intentional, effective, and equitable learning opportunities for every student.

  • Signpost that reads "this way, that way, the other way"

    Helpful Aspects of Outcomes-Based Contracts that K-12 Officials Want All Vendors to Know

    K12 leaders want partners, not vendors. Learn what education officials value most in OBC relationships, from shared risk and transparent data to implementation support and mutual accountability, and discover how providers can position themselves as true collaborators in student success.

  • Drawing of a student working on a laptop with an upward trending graph behind her.

    The New Education Economy: Building Sustainable Impact at Scale

    Education funding is shifting from paying for services to paying for results. Discover how outcomes based contracting aligns incentives, builds transparency, and ensures accountability flows both ways when districts and providers share responsibility for to create sustainable impact and better student outcomes.

  • Webinar: What’s Next with OBC? Coaching and Support Opportunities for Providers

    Webinar: What’s Next with OBC? Coaching and Support Opportunities for Providers

    On Oct 7-10, the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC) is opening the doors to personalized coaching designed specifically for #K12 service providers. This session will help you determine if coaching with the Center for OBC is the right next step for your organization.

  • ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is:’ Indiana Wants Reading Gains Before Paying

    ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is:’ Indiana Wants Reading Gains Before Paying

    Districts across the country are exploring new ways to ensure investments deliver measurable results. This 74 Million article highlights Indiana’s innovative approach to outcomes based contracting, where provider payments are tied directly to student reading gains. The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting shares how this model helps states and districts build stronger…

  • Educator helping child in a classroom.

    2025 Model State Policy: Outcomes-Based Contracting for High-Dosage Tutoring

    The Outcomes Based Contracting for High-Dosage Tutoring Model Policy establishes a statewide framework for implementing outcomes based contracts (OBC) for high-dosage tutoring in public schools. The goal is to improve academic outcomes for students through performance-driven agreements that reward providers for achieving measurable results while ensuring mutual accountability and transparency.

  • Outcomes Based Contracting to Support Student Growth

    Outcomes Based Contracting to Support Student Growth

    Discover how districts are rethinking procurement with outcomes based contracting—aligning contracts to student success, driving accountability, and giving educators the tools they need to see measurable learning gains.

  • Back to School with Better Results: The OBC Toolkit for Districts

    Back to School with Better Results: The OBC Toolkit for Districts

    Every dollar a district spends on tutoring should be tied to better student outcomes—but most contracts track minutes logged, attendance, or time on platform instead. Hedreich Nichols explores the real cost of vague contracts and introduces the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting's free District Toolkit: four field-tested resources that help districts negotiate, structure, and monitor tutoring partnerships built around what students actually learn.

  • Photo of Brittany Miller

    Week in EdTech 8/20/25: GPT-5 Fallout & GPT-6 Memory … (feat. Brittany Miller of the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting)

    Listen as Brittany Miller, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director, breaks down the building of results-driven district–provider partnerships through OBCs. Alongside rapid takes on GPT-5 fallout, GPT-6 “memory,” Blackstone’s Cognita exit, and Pearson’s AI study prep, this podcast is one you’ll want to save.

For press inquiries, please contact press@obc-southerneducation.org