A new superintendent later discontinued the program, not from disagreement with the model, but to establish greater districtwide uniformity in literacy instruction. However, PACT’s organizing demonstrated how community engagement strategies can create shared and focused conversations on student learning; identify new and effective programs; and support and strengthen the work of teachers and principals. PACT’s organizing also proved to be a highly cost-effective intervention. PACT was able to leverage a relatively small organizational budget to achieve substantial gains for the district’s lowest-performing students.

FINDINGS

This report shares findings from a six-year research study on the impact of PACT’s education organizing on Miami schools. The study showed that PACT’s organizing had a positive impact on district policies and resource allocation, school climate and instruction, and student outcomes:

• PACT’s organizing won both school board approval for a new reading program and $3 million in new funds to implement it in twenty-seven of Miami’s poorest elementary schools;
  
  
• teachers credited PACT with improvements in their schools’ instructional core, school climate, and professional culture;
  
  
• PACT elementary schools showed steady improvement on Florida’s standardized tests that exceeded improvement in matched comparison schools and the district, especially for students at the lowest performance level.