Tyton Partners Releases “From Promise to Practice: Delivering on K–12 Student Success and the Gaps That Remain”

Boston, MA (July 22, 2026) - Tyton Partners, the leading strategy consulting and investment banking firm focused on the education sector, has released "From Promise to Practice: Delivering on K-12 Student Success and the Gaps that Remain." This publication is the first installment of a new longitudinal market measurement franchise and draws on a survey of more than 2,000 administrators, teachers, and parents to establish a rigorous baseline of where K-12 student success stands, including what efforts have taken root, where they have stalled, and which breakthrough models are delivering impact.

This research is made possible by Renaissance, a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries.

The report arrives at a defining moment for public education. Districts are operating under greater complexity and scrutiny than ever before. Enrollment is declining, school choice is expanding, budgets are strained, and the world students must prepare to enter is changing faster than systems can adapt. Against this backdrop, districts have made real attempts to invest in their student success infrastructure-but often struggle to translate these investments into results. This gap between vision and execution is a barrier to student success.

"The K-12 field has done the hard work of defining what students need," said Christian Lehr, Managing Director at Tyton Partners and lead author of the report. "But the rhetoric is ahead of the reality. The harder work is building systems that carry student success priorities into daily practice. Despite the bold vision statements and advances in learning science, most students still have a fragmented school experience, similar to when I taught 10 years ago."

Key findings in the report include:

• Bold visions for student success are broadly written but narrowly acted on. Districts that practice them consistently outperform the field. Portrait of a Graduate frameworks have reached more than 60% of US districts, but only 16% actively use them to guide decisions and inform daily practice. Those that do report stronger academic growth, more effective college and career readiness initiatives, and better overall student wellness.
• Most districts have made foundational investments, but fragmented implementations and siloed processes stand in the way of desired student outcomes. Curriculum and assessment programs set a strong foundation for data-driven instruction, but teachers lack the time and training to act on student data. Districts that weave wellness, career exploration, and life skills into daily instruction significantly outperform those that run them as separate programs, but they most often still operate in silos. Regarding procurement processes, 90% want more strategic vendor partnerships that support a fuller range of student success outcomes, but most districts still make decisions in department silos.
• Connected data, measurement, and professional learning systems can address execution gaps. District administrators and teachers both view integrated data systems, aligned professional learning, and tools that track the full range of student success outcomes as the most critical levers to translating their visions into daily practice. AI shows promise, but it currently delivers on productivity, not student outcomes. Academic gains are strongest among districts that have integrated AI as an enterprise asset to drive decisiveness and improve practice-not just to save time.

The findings point to a necessary shift in the discourse around student success, from "How do we define student success?" to "How do we deliver on it?" The vision is in place, and commitment to it is stronger than ever, but the work requires more consistent implementation.

"From Promise to Practice" gives K-12 leaders a roadmap for closing the gap between vision and outcomes, and defines the role solution providers must play in providing the connected layer of support districts need to get there.

To download the new report, visit https://tytonpartners.com/promise-to-practice-2026/.

About Tyton Partners

Tyton Partners is a dynamic advisory firm serving clients across the global knowledge sector's education, information, and media markets. Through dual-practice Strategy Consulting and Investment Banking services, we help clients capitalize on opportunities and solve for challenges with one singular focus: our clients' optimal path forward. Learn more at https://www.tytonpartners.com.

Media Contact

Adam Newman
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