more information About NourishED

 Our Founding Cohort in Spring 2026 demonstrated that this model can work!!!  

After receiving over 100 applications, our small but mighty Founding Cohort ran from March to May 2026. Thanks to support from Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, 18 educators earned stipends and successfully completed the program. Through NourishED, educators identified a problem of practice and completed an improvement cycle—trying out a self-selected change strategy, implementing it, and assessing its results with evidence. Topics included: increasing student engagement, growing a positive school climate, increasing student voice, and supporting professional development and mentoring for novice teachers and paraprofessionals. The program culminated in a public showcase event attended by educators from five states.  

Based on preliminary survey data...

• Participants rated NourishED’s PD quality significantly above their district-provided PD (4.27 vs. 2.92 on a 5-point scale—a large effect size, d = 1.50)
• Teachers reported meaningful gains in confidence across all measures of continuous improvement and self-efficacy beliefs.
• Improved classroom practice: Top-rated impacts included data-driven instructional decisions (4.75/5), student engagement (4.50/5), and ability to identify and address specific practice goals (4.50/5).
• Participants reported a 25% increase in the number of professional colleagues they regularly turn to for advice
• Approximately 20% of participants reported being on the verge of leaving the profession before joining NourishED. After participating, they chose to stay.