Edutopia reviewed hundreds of educational studies in 2020 and has highlighted 10 that they believe are the most significant—covering topics from virtual learning to the reading wars and the decline of standardized tests. Selected studies include the following: To teach vocabulary, let kids be thespians. Neuroscientists defend the value of teaching handwriting – again. The Read more about The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2020[…]
Writing for Digital Promise, Babe Liberman and Viki Young, Ph.D., explore a practice-driven, equity-centered approach for setting R&D agendas in education. The project invited teachers to collaborate with researchers, funders, and education leaders to develop these equity-focused agendas. The report presents illustrative examples of R&D agendas based on the driving questions that district partners raised Read more about Digital Promise’s Equity in the Driver’s Seat[…]
As a result of new, more rigorous college and career standards, many school leaders and educators are asking, “What does a college- and career-ready assignment look like?” Ed Trust answers that question in a new report and interactive assignment tool. “Checking In Update: More Assignments From Real Classrooms” is the second report in Ed Trust’s Read more about College- and Career-Ready Assignments[…]
The PARCC ELA/literacy prose constructed response item rubrics have been updated with the help of educators across PARCC states to reflect lessons learned from the PARCC field test. A PCR item asks students to produce a robust written reply to a prompt. The rubrics are a voluntary resource, aligned to the CCSS, and designed to Read more about PARCC Releases Updated ELA Rubrics for Prose Constructed Responses[…]
States should promote data use skills, ease of access to data, and the use of a common language about data literacy to support strengthening data literacy among the nation’s educators as an important lever for improving student achievement, according to a new policy brief, Data Literacy: It’s About Time. The policy brief looks at current Read more about Action Needed to Improve Educator Data Literacy[…]
With Common Core (CCSS) in various stages of implementation in 46 states, one might expect the majority of teachers to be making changes that align with the standards, even if testing for CCSS will not start until next year. A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which supports Common Core, considers this expectation. Read more about Teachers Are Supposed to Assign Harder Books, but They Aren’t Doing It Yet[…]
As forty-six states and the District of Columbia implement the Common Core State standards, questions abound regarding implementation, including the implications for curriculum and pedagogy. In Common Core in the Schools: A First Look at Reading Assignments, researchers analyze what texts English teachers assign their students and the instructional techniques they used in the classroom. Read more about Common Core in the Schools: A First Look at Reading Assignments[…]
In an interesting editorial for the New York Times online, Sara Mosle takes up the debate around one of the key shifts in reading instruction advocated by the Common Core — a shift that calls for much more focus on non-fiction and less emphasis on fictional texts. This shift has inspired a heated debate, but Read more about Does Common Core Overemphasize Non-Fiction?[…]
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) announces its public review period for Literacy: Reading-Language Arts Standards for early and middle childhood teachers. Practicing teachers fill a majority of seats on standards committees with other members representing districts, states, and higher education. NBPTS Standards reflect the Five Core Propositions that are the foundation of Read more about Comment on NBPTS Literacy Standards[…]