During its years of international research into what makes top-performing countries so successful, NCEE repeatedly observed strong, intentional vertical alignment between schools and their equivalents of U.S. school districts. While schools may have some flexibility, systemwide there is a common understanding of the standards and a shared goal of aligning all aspects of the school and district to ensure that every student succeeds.

For that reason, Pearson has, from the outset, focused on building partnerships with districts, helping schools boost academic performance. From Jacksonville, Florida, to New York City and from Bethel, Washington, to Prince George’s County, Maryland, we have endeavored to build systemic, scalable improvements at the district level. Districts and states interested in improving student achievement can take advantage of Pearson's expertise through a district or state partnership.

We will help you develop, implement, and evaluate strategies for school improvement, instructional leadership, professional development, and standards-based teaching and learning.

States interested in creating an internationally competitive educational system, including Common Core State Standards capacity building, are welcome to call us and also consider joining in the State Alliance for High Performance, which engages participating states in a rigorous international benchmarking process.