How School Districts Can Pay Vendors Based on Student Outcomes
School districts are increasingly adopting outcomes-based contracting (OBC) to tie vendor payments to measurable student learning gains rather than services rendered. This episode of The Future of Education explores how districts like Denver and Duval County are implementing OBC in high-impact tutoring, what mutual accountability looks like in practice, and why the end of ESSER funding makes this model especially timely.
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Key takeaways
Outcomes-based contracting ties vendor payments to actual student learning gains, replacing traditional service-based agreements.
Real-world implementations in Denver and Duval County use tools like rate cards and contingency payments to create mutual accountability between districts and vendors.
Districts can reinvest leftover contingency dollars to expand programs that demonstrably work, maximizing the impact of limited education budgets.
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As school districts face growing pressure to spend limited funds wisely and show measurable returns on investment, a bold new model is gaining traction: paying vendors based on student outcomes rather than services rendered. With the end of ESSER funding and increased scrutiny from school boards, districts are seeking ways to ensure that every dollar directly improves student achievement.
So, how can school districts shift from traditional contracts to ones that tie payment to actual learning gains? And what does that process look like in the real world?
In this episode of The Future of Education, host Michael Horn speaks with Dr. Brittany Miller and Jasmine Walker of the Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting. Together, they explore how outcomes-based contracting (OBC) is being implemented in districts nationwide, what mutual accountability between schools and vendors looks like, and why now is the right moment for this model to scale.
Main topics covered:
- How outcomes-based contracts work, including rate cards, contingency payments, and the role of mutual accountability
- Real-world case studies from Denver and Duval County implementing OBC in high-impact tutoring
- How districts can use leftover contingency dollars to reinvest in what works — and expand successful programs
Dr. Brittany Miller is a nationally recognized education systems leader with deep expertise in strategic planning, continuous improvement, and outcomes-based contracting. She has led district transformation efforts across Denver Public Schools and the Southern Education Foundation, where she now serves as Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting. With a background spanning teaching, research, and executive leadership, Dr. Miller is known for building cross-sector partnerships and driving equity-focused, data-informed change in K–12 education.
Jasmine Walker is an experienced K–12 education leader with a strong background in mathematics instruction, school administration, and outcomes-based contracting. Over nearly 17 years with Duval County Public Schools, she served in roles from teacher to K–12 Director of Mathematics, leading districtwide efforts to improve student achievement. Now Director of District Engagement at the Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting, she supports school systems nationwide in implementing performance-based vendor partnerships that align spending with student outcomes.
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About the author
Michael Horn speaks and writes about the future of education and works with a portfolio of education organizations to improve the life of each and every student. He is the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, and host of the Future of Education podcast on MarketScale.
