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  • Outcomes Based Contracting Requires Not Just Accountability, but Partnership

    Curriculum Associates CEO Kelly Sia on why outcomes based contracting depends on partnership, not just accountability.

  • Can a Letter From Washington Actually Change How Schools Buy Technology?

    Dr. Brittany Miller joins EdSurge to unpack new federal edtech guidance urging schools to buy for outcomes, not screen time.

  • U.S. Department of Education Releases Guidance on Responsible Use of Education Technology in the Classroom

    New federal edtech guidance cites WestEd's outcomes based contracting research as evidence for shared-accountability partnerships.

  • Guidance for State and Local Education Agencies

    As State Educational Agencies (SEAs), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), andeducation service providers work to accelerate student learning, many are exploringnew ways to ensure public investments translate into measurable results.The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has reinforced this focus through itsSupplemental Priority on Meaningful Learning Opportunities, including Priority (b)(v),which explicitly…

  • 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

    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

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

  • Kelly Blackburn

    Kelly Blackburn serves as Director of Finance at the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, where she leads organizational budgeting, forecasting, and multi-year financial planning aligned with the Center’s strategic goals. She also oversees financial operations, compliance, and annual filings. Kelly brings many years of nonprofit and higher education finance…

  • 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.

  • Evaluation of Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC): Final Report

    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. …

  • 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.

  • Follow the North Star: using data-informed implementation to drive better outcomes

    There’s a difference between data that’s easy to dismiss and data that demands a response. Cara Jackson and Elise Lenthe attended the 2026 Strategic Data Project Convening and came back with that insight, alongside a clear case from Duval County Public Schools for why implementation doesn’t survive on goodwill…

  • 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.

  • The Center for OBC Services

    Our Services The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting is on track to serve one million students by 2030. That is happening because districts, providers, and states are making a different kind of commitment, one where student outcomes are not an afterthought at the end of a contract. Every service…

  • Impact in Action Vol. 2

    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…

  • Edtech Instructional Intervention Exemplar Contract

    The Center for OBC’s outcomes based contract exemplar for edtech interventions shows districts exactly what a high-quality partnership looks like in practice. From dosage requirements and rate cards to mutual accountability and data sharing, every element is designed to protect students, clarify expectations, and drive implementation quality from day…

  • 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?

    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

    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

    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…