HCM Strategists

A Washington, DC-based public policy consulting firm active in education. In partnership with Learning Heroes, HCM developed an ESSA-compliant, parent-friendly school report card model and provided technical assistance to states (South Dakota, Texas, New Mexico, Massachusetts, plus others via CCSSO) implementing it. The clearest documented example of the "improve the signal" strategic response to the perception gap executed at state scale.

Report-card work

• State partners: South Dakota (rebuilt from scratch), Texas, New Mexico (added an online parent portal with explainer videos), Massachusetts (ran parent usability sessions). "Several other states" customized the model via CCSSO technical assistance.
• Methodology: mixed-method research (focus groups, interviews, surveys) by Edge Research across five states.
• Artifact: an ESSA-compliant model school report card. School-level, not student-level.

See HCM × Learning Heroes case study source.

Position in the landscape

The HCM partnership sits at the intersection of policy expertise (HCM), parent research (Learning Heroes), and state implementation. It is also the channel through which Learning Heroes' research findings translate into actual published state artifacts — distinct from the awareness-and-advocacy channel ("Go Beyond Grades" campaigns) that Learning Heroes runs directly.

Follow-ups

• Locate the model report card itself — the case study describes it but does not link to or screenshot it.
• Whether HCM has published any follow-up assessment of parent comprehension or engagement outcomes from the redesigned reports.
• HCM's broader portfolio beyond report-card redesign — how this work fits with other education policy projects.