This week, Education Dive examined how Ivy Tech's retention rates for first-generation students were lifted by a coaching program. Also in higher ed, the University of Texas System is embracing a model aimed at building networks of people in the system who can collaborate and share information around common issues.

Meanwhile in K-12, a 20-year-old union-teacher coalition issued a document in advance of the U.S. Supreme Court's Janus decision in a bid to shift the dialogue around school improvement, and a school-university partnership between Staten Island's Port Richmond High School and Wagner College is helping students realize their potential to attend and succeed in college.

Be sure to check out our coverage of the annual Educause conference for the latest on thought leadership in higher ed IT (and keep your eyes peeled for more in the coming days) as we wrap up this week's most-read posts from Education Dive!

• Coaching program boosts Ivy Tech's first-generation student retention rates : The Indiana community college saw a 13% lift in the retention rate of students in the 21st Century Scholar program.
• How can curriculum be adjusted to embrace competency-based learning?: The model has seen its star rise in K-12 as educators look to redefine learning metrics beyond things like traditional credit hours tied to seat time.
• UT System embraces collaborative model to move institutions forward: Through weekly video conference calls, Chancellor Bill McRaven is fostering an environment of collaboration to solve common problems across the system.
• Union-teacher coalition hopes to 'interrupt' dialogue about school improvement: The now-20-year-old Teacher Union Reform Network is issuing a document in advance of the Supreme Court's Janus decision.
• School-university partnership helps Staten Island students develop 'college self-esteem': The project expands into feeder middle and elementary schools.
• Wednesday at Educause 2017: Michio Kaku, ECAR survey results and rethinking higher ed IT : Get caught up on some of the key sessions and vendor news to come out of higher ed's premier annual IT gathering thus far.

Would you like to see more education news like this in your inbox on a daily basis? Subscribe to our Education Dive email newsletter!