Benjamin W. Cottingham

Benjamin Cottingham Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE)
Benjamin W. Cottingham
District Improvement Specialist,
California Education Partners

Benjamin W. Cottingham is a district improvement specialist at Education Partners. His work involves collaborating with district teams to design and implement systems that strengthen preK–3rd grade mathematics and to build coherence between the 8th and 9th grades. He previously was associate director of strategic partnerships at PACE; worked on state policy with the Oklahoma Department of Education; served in nonprofit leadership while providing high-dosage tutoring in Boston; and taught with Teach for America. His work has focused on improving educational systems to better support high-quality teaching and learning. Cottingham received his MA in education policy from Stanford University.

updated 2025

    Contributing topics
    Access, quality & alignment in early childhood education
    College access & postsecondary success
    Continuous school improvement & support
    Education finance
    Educational governance & policy
    Educator workforce & effectiveness
    Supporting students’ social-emotional, mental & physical health
    Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
    Contributing initiatives
    Continuous Improvement and Support Systems in California
    CORE-PACE Research Partnership
    COVID-19 Recovery
    Organizing Schools to Serve Students with Disabilities
    Commentary by Benjamin W. Cottingham
    : The Urgent Need to Update District Policies on Student Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education
    Benjamin W. Cottingham in the Media
    Many Texas Families Say Remote Learning Isn’t Working and They Want It Fixed
     | The Texas Tribune
    In This San Antonio Classroom, a Teacher Divides Her Time Between 'Roomies' and 'Zoomies'
     | The Texas Tribune
    Kids Used to Love Screen Time. Then Schools Made Zoom Mandatory All Day Long.
     | The Washington Post
    Teachers, Live Screen Time Is Precious. Use It Well
     | Education Week
    Hermosa Beach Teachers Absorb Lessons of Spring Shutdown as They Ready for First Day of School
     | Easy Reader News
    Publications by Benjamin W. Cottingham
    Constructing a Good Fit: Improvement Team Leads’ Perspectives on Fitting Improvement Work to Their Sites
    Constructing a Good Fit
    Improvement Team Leads’ Perspectives on Fitting Improvement Work to Their Sites
    This chapter in an edited book focuses on the work of two improvement network hubs in California as they tried to support participating districts and schools to improve the proportion of students “on-track” for post-secondary success. California has…
    Engaging Schools to Improve Ninth-Grade Outcomes
    Engaging Schools to Improve Ninth-Grade Outcomes
    CORE’s Approach
    Educators face a dilemma of staying up-to-date with evidence-based practices while dealing with superficial ideas. Continuous improvement methods can help in testing new ideas but if seen as add-ons, they may not yield sustained improvement. This…
    Weaving and Stacking: How School Districts Craft Coherence Towards Continuous Improvement
    Weaving and Stacking
    How School Districts Craft Coherence Towards Continuous Improvement
    This study uses qualitative case study methods to explore how educators establish system-wide continuous improvement capabilities and coherence for implementation, taking into consideration the local contexts. Educators use two bridging approaches…
    Generating Traction with Continuous Improvement
    Generating Traction with Continuous Improvement
    Lessons from Two Learning Networks
    This report examines how continuous improvement is applied to educational accountability in California. It analyzes the experiences of two organizations leading networks to increase postsecondary success, aiming to improve the consistency of…