News Archives

Cross & Joftus to Conduct Special Education Needs Assessment in Syracuse, NY

C&J is in the process of conducting a review of the district's programming, services, and instruction for students with disabilities. Recommendations will be provided to better serve this group and raise student achievement. Read more

Cross & Joftus produces testimonial video about the success of Liberal School District

Watch a video about Liberal School District (Kansas) and how its district-wide implementation of Literacy First is yielding impressive gains in student achievement. Learn about how Liberal South Middle School, armed with a SIG grant and a Kansas Learning Network Implementation Coach, has transformed the learning atmosphere with technology, professional development, and data driven instruction and as a result, has made AYP in reading and math.

Nevada Governor Signs Critical Educational Bills into Law

In the State of Nevada, the Governor recently signed a number of bills designed to substantially reform education policy in the state. The bills are almost entirely based on recommendations that were incorporated in the report, "Nevada's Promise," that emerged from the work of a Blue Ribbon Task Force. C&J’s Chris Cross served as the senior adviser to the task force. Read more

Kansas Commissioner Speaks About KLN Success

Watch Diane DeBacker, Kansas Commissioner of Education, as she speaks to the KLN Network at the June 2011 Kansas Learning Network Meeting. Diane discusses the great progress the KLN districts have made over the last year and how their efforts are paying off for Kansas students.

Cross & Joftus Completes Allentown Resource Review

C&J has recently completed a resource review for the Allentown School District. The district is now using the results to drive improvements in professional development, to reconfigure class sizes, and to improve the way they collect and use data for decision-making. Read more

Cross & Joftus Prepares for LAUSD Charter Special Education Summit

The LAUSD Charter Special Education Project team is holding a special education summit in Pasadena on August 5-6. School teams of special educators, general educators, administrators, paraprofessionals, and parents will learn and share best practices in research-based intervention models, instructional practices, and assisted technology. Read more

Cross & Joftus Selected as Service Provider for Schools in Need of Improvement in Texas and Illinois

Cross & Joftus was one of five organizations selected by the state of Texas as an approved provider of strategic planning services for the lowest performing schools in the state. C&J is also an approved service provider in Illinois as a subcontractor to American Institutes of Research (AIR).

Cross & Joftus Selected as Service Provider for Schools in Need of Improvement in Kansas and Illinois

Cross & Joftus was awarded a two-year contract by the Kansas State Department of Education to provide services to all 27 districts and 38 schools in the state that have been identified for improvement. We have also been selected by the California Department of Education as a service provider for districts in the state that have been identified for improvement (see press release) and by the Texas Education Agency as a service provider for schools receiving School Improvement Grants. Find out how Cross & Joftus can support the improvement process in your state or district. Read more about The Learning Network™ and School System Improvement

Christopher Cross updates his ground-breaking book Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age

In an updated edition of his book, Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age, Christopher Cross incorporates new material as Congress approaches reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its first real review of No Child Left Behind. Given the importance of this expected shift in national policy, it is essential that both policy makers and educators understand the forces that have shaped federal K-12 policy over the last half-century. Watch the author speak about his book at Teachers College at Columbia University.

Cross & Joftus produces testimonial video about The Learning Network in Kansas.

Educators and administrators from across the state of Kansas discuss the power of The Learning Network spurring and supporting school and district turnaround. Cross & Joftus currently works with all 27 districts and 38 schools in Kansas that are on improvement, corrective action, or restructuring.
See the video

Cross & Joftus Releases Two Reports on Investments in Summer Programming

With the National Summer Learning Association, Cross & Joftus recently authored two scans of summer programming resources available to school-age, lower-income children. The first report examines program offerings in five California cities (summary, full report). The second report reviews summer resources in Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana (summary, full report).

Cross & Joftus Authors Report on Out-of-School Time Efforts in American Cities

This example-filled guide developed with the National League of Cities describes three strategies municipal leaders have used successfully to advance after-school programming: involving many organizations and agencies in the OST effort; keeping after-school on the public agenda; and heading the development of a shared vision for after-school and other out-of-school time opportunities. Read more

Video Discusses the Important Role of Education Information Systems

The Race to the Top competition highlights the key role that data can play in improving student outcomes. A video produced by Cross & Joftus for The California Student Success Project shows how data becomes the voices of students. See the video

Christopher Cross authors chapter in new book, Smart Money: Using Educational Resources to Accomplish Ambitious Learning Goals

Published by Harvard Education Press, Smart Money draws on the work of the School Finance Redesign Project at the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education. The authors bring together research on education finance policy and on the uses of school and district resources to provide a uniquely comprehensive analysis of school finance systems. In Part II, Cross & Joftus' Christopher T. Cross offers insights into the effective use of resources in his chapter, "How Federal Categorical Funding Prevents the Effective Use of Resources." Read more

Cross & Joftus Releases Report on Federal Education Programs

With the support of the C.S. Mott Foundation, C&J presents the rationale for adopting a more comprehensive approach to education reform, the role an inventory of federal programs can play in this effort, and the findings from a pilot inventory of education-related federal programs for children and youth. Review the report and inventory and read Deb Viadero's blog posting about the need for more effective coordination of such programs.

Cross & Joftus Outlines the State of Education in Nevada

Christopher Cross, C&J Chairman, presented data on the state of education in Nevada to a salon meeting of Nevada Womens Philanthropy on January 12th in Las Vegas.
Read more

Cross & Joftus and the Kansas Learning Network Featured in Education Daily

Education Daily reports on the Kansas Learning Network, a Cross & Joftus-facilitated effort to raise student outcomes in the state's most struggling districts. Read more

Cross & Joftus Selected as Service Provider for Districts in Need of Improvement in Kansas and California

Cross & Joftus was awarded a two-year contract by the Kansas State Department of Education to provide services to all 17 districts and 33 schools in the state that have been identified for improvement. We have also been selected by the California Department of Education as a service provider for districts in the state that have been identified for improvement (see press release). Find out how Cross & Joftus can support the improvement process in your state or district. Read more about The Learning Network™ and School System Improvement

Cross & Joftus contributes to new book Grand Bargain for Education Reform: New Rewards and
Supports for New Accountability

This book provides a unique collection of perspectives from national education leaders on how accountability, performance-based pay, and value-added assessment might be combined to offer a more robust accountability model for schools.

Sharon Deich Authors Piece on Reallocating Resources

In a newsletter written for the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, Sharon writes about the strategies used to facilitate the implementation, expansion, and sustainment of a wide range of school improvements. Read PDF

Visit Two New Web Sites to Support Our Schools and Teachers

Support the great work that is happening in our schools and classrooms by visiting myteachermyhero.com and classwish.org. These two sites allow visitors to celebrate the extraordinary influence teachers have on our lives and provide schools and teachers with the resources they need to help our children succeed.

National Research Council Releases Report on Early Childhood Math

Christopher Cross led a two-year National Research Council study on math for young children. Read the press release and an Education Week article about the study. To purchase the full report and receive a 25% discount, go to the National Academies Press web site and use code MATLEA at check-out.

Christopher Cross Describes a Broader, Bolder Approach to Accountability

Chris recently spoke with the Learning First Alliance about new accountability recommendations developed by the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education campaign.

The Learning Network™

A new Cross & Joftus approach to school system improvement, The Learning Network, builds capacity at the school, district, and state levels to improve the quality of education all children receive. Read more

Cross & Joftus Celebrates 5th Anniversary

Our firm is celebrating five years of great work with exceptional clients. We have a successful track record and a proven business model.

Cross & Joftus Announces New Partner Sharon Deich

Sharon contributes important knowledge and experience in school finance and change management. In addition, she has considerable expertise in coupling out-of-school time supports and services with traditional education reforms to improve student outcomes. Read more

Christopher Cross Interviewed by PBS NewsHour's John Merrow

Hear the podcast of Chris’ interview on the challenges and opportunities facing Arne Duncan, the new U.S. Secretary of Education. See the video of the complete NewsHour story.

Cross & Joftus Authors Reports on High School Reform and Extra Learning Time

Read Dollars and Sense: A First Look at Financing a New Day for Learning by Sharon Deich, with Heather Clapp Padgette, and High School Reform in Colorado: A History of Efforts and Lessons for the Futureby Heather Clapp Padgette.

Christopher T. Cross

Christopher T. Cross is chairman of the education policy consulting firm Cross & Joftus, where he contributes his considerable strategic planning, policy analysis, and development skills. Cross also serves as a consultant to the Broad Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Previously, he was a senior fellow with the Center for Education Policy and a distinguished senior fellow with the Education Commission of the States.

From 1994 to 2002, Cross was president and chief executive officer of the Council for Basic Education (CBE). Before joining CBE, he served as director of the education initiative of The Business Roundtable and as assistant secretary for educational research and improvement in the U.S. Department of Education.

He chaired the National Assessment of Title I Independent Review Panel on Evaluation for the U.S. Department of Education from 1995 to 2001 and the National Research Council Panel on Minority Representation in Special Education from 1997 to 2002. Currently, Cross chairs the National Research Council Panel on Early Childhood Mathematics. He is on the Board of Trustees of Whittier College. He also serves on the board of The New Teacher Project and the board of EdSource. In March 2002, Cross guided the negotiated rulemaking process on Title I for the U.S. Department of Education.

In 2001, he completed a six-year term on the Board of International Comparative Studies in Education for the National Research Council. In addition, he chaired the National Council for Education and Humanities Development of The George Washington University from its inception in 2000 through 2002. Cross served as president of the Maryland State Board of Education from 1994 to 1997 and was a member from 1993 to 1997. He also was a member of the National Education Commission on Time and Learning.

Cross has written extensively on education and other public policy areas and has been published in numerous professional journals and newspapers, including Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, The College Board Review, The Washington Post, the Sacramento Bee, and the Los Angeles Times. He co-authored an article, "Systems, not Superheroes," published in the winter 2008 edition of the American Association of School Administrators' Journal of Scholarship and Practice.

His book, Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age, is on the people and events shaping federal K-12 education policy from the time of the Eisenhower Administration through the passage of the 2001 amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It was published in November 2003 by Teachers College Press. Cross is also the co-editor of Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education, published in 2002 by National Academies Press. He has lectured on American education issues in Japan, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates.

Cross has a bachelor of arts degree from Whittier College and a master of arts degree in government from California State University, Los Angeles.

Download Christopher T. Cross's Resume