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  • Proof Points: Paying Vendors for Student Results

    Proof Points: Paying Vendors for Student Results

    New WestEd research finds early promise for outcomes based contracting, but can't yet separate contract effects from coaching support.

  • Should Districts Pay Vendors Based on Student Outcomes? What the Research Says

    Should Districts Pay Vendors Based on Student Outcomes? What the Research Says

    New WestEd research on outcomes based contracting weighs the promise and the pitfalls of paying providers for student results.

  • Accountability Works. Outcomes-Based Contracting Makes It Work Better

    Accountability Works. Outcomes-Based Contracting Makes It Work Better

    Former Newark superintendent Chris Cerf argues outcomes based contracting gives accountability a more durable path forward.

  • Early Evidence Finds Outcomes Based Contracting Boosts Student Performance

    Early Evidence Finds Outcomes Based Contracting Boosts Student Performance

    New WestEd research finds outcomes based contracting boosts student performance in early-adopter districts — at costs comparable to traditional contracts.

  • Outcomes-based contracting is a big shift for the edtech world

    Outcomes-based contracting is a big shift for the edtech world

    Coursemojo co-CEO Dacia Toll makes the case in District Administration that outcomes based contracting is the answer to edtech's accountability problem, citing the Center's Standards and featuring insights from the Center's Jasmine Walker on cross-functional district collaboration.

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • ‘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…

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • 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.