What if a contract could drive and deliver the results that providers promise? A new evaluation from WestEd — the most rigorous study of outcomes based contracting (OBC) to date — found that OBC improved student outcomes, strengthened district-provider partnerships, and built lasting district capacity across early-adopter districts.
It’s evidence that when districts and providers share ownership of the outcomes, students win.
Impact in Action, Vol. 2 features Santa Ana Unified School District’s outcomes based contracting journey, showing how a district started small with a 42-student pilot and scaled to 1,152 students across 27 schools. With 72% of students meeting at least one contracted outcome, SAUSD is proof that when implementation…
What if edtech payments were tied to student outcomes — not just licenses?This report examines the first cohort to use outcomes based contracting (OBC) for edtech, driving implementation rates 10x higher than the national average. By replacing buyer-seller dynamics with data-driven partnerships, OBCempowers district leaders to invest in…
This research paper from the SCALE Initiative at Stanford Graduate School of Education examines how outcomes based contracting transforms K–12 school district procurement — shifting from pay-for-service models to evidence-based, accountable partnerships that tie provider payment to measurable student outcomes.