Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers

The educational community is increasingly focused on the development of students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and the link between SEL and improved educational attainment and achievement. SEL is the process through which students develop the skills necessary to recognize and manage emotions, build relationships, solve interpersonal problems, and make effective and ethical decisions. Read more about Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers[…]

Share

The Playbook to Leverage the Power of Communities of Practice

Through its Collaborating States Initiative (CSI), CASEL has observed that state policymakers who have created foundational policies to advance social and emotional learning (SEL) often become interested, as a next step, in creating a statewide community of practice (CoP) to engage districts and schools around a shared vision to promote implementation of SEL. To this Read more about The Playbook to Leverage the Power of Communities of Practice[…]

Share

A revealing reality: Spring 2022 survey of teachers and administrators

As schools reopened last fall, many education leaders and stakeholders predicted that most online learning would fall away, and teachers and students would begin to recover from an unprecedented event. But new data from the Christensen Institute’s ongoing, nationally-representative surveys of hundreds of teachers and administrators have uncovered fascinating insights into what’s actually happening in Read more about A revealing reality: Spring 2022 survey of teachers and administrators[…]

Share

Teaching virtue in the digital age

Writing for the Fordham Foundation, Jennifer Frey recently argued the case for teaching cyber-wisdom and reviewed a new curriculum that seeks to do just that. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Practical wisdom generally is the habit of mind that allows one to make good practical judgments in the circumstances of her everyday life. Cyber-wisdom Read more about Teaching virtue in the digital age[…]

Share

Creating Safe, Equitable, and Engaging Schools

Four years ago, Mary Catryn D. Ricker of the Shanker Institute and David Osher of AIR collaborated on the introduction to a book, Creating Safe, Equitable, Engaging Schools. Their introduction shared six practical, science-based principles that not only ground the book, but also speak to the current crises in education. These six principles are integral Read more about Creating Safe, Equitable, and Engaging Schools[…]

Share

Putting compassion on the teacher prep syllabus

The Hechinger Report recently reported on a new, masters-level course called ‘Compassion and Dignity for Educators’ being offered at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The ability to understand a child’s struggles — and then do or say just the right thing to help them through — is arguably the Read more about Putting compassion on the teacher prep syllabus[…]

Share

Effective Advising for Postsecondary Students

At its most effective, advising is a collaborative process between a student and an advisor designed to help the student realize their educational potential. Most postsecondary institutions have historically used advisors to help students select and register for courses, but postsecondary institutions are increasingly asking advisors to play an instrumental role in helping students progress Read more about Effective Advising for Postsecondary Students[…]

Share

Making the Connection: Aligning Advising to Improve Postsecondary Access and Success

A new resource from Education Strategy Group highlights the importance of prioritizing alignment of advising across K-12 and higher education, and offers a vision for achieving that alignment by laying out a concrete framework,  action steps, and resources for the many stakeholders who have a role to play.  The report recommends that all students receive Read more about Making the Connection: Aligning Advising to Improve Postsecondary Access and Success[…]

Share

Inaugural PISA Data on Students’ Growth Mindset and Teaching Practices

Writing for the Fordham Institute,  Jeff Murray recently reviewed the results of a new Growth Mindset survey administered for the first time with the 2018 PISA assessment. Excerpts of the piece appear below: For the 2018 administration of the test, PISA included a “growth mindset” instrument. Students who have this mindset believe that intelligence is Read more about Inaugural PISA Data on Students’ Growth Mindset and Teaching Practices[…]

Share

Preparing Students of Color for the Future Workforce

A new issue brief from the Center for American Progress, Preparing Students of Color for the Future Workforce, applies a race equity, community-centered lens to understand how to prepare Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students for college and the workforce. Major themes emerged from community conversations, which have allowed the authors to identify gaps that obstruct Read more about Preparing Students of Color for the Future Workforce[…]

Share

All of Who I Am

Over the past several years, a growing consensus has emerged that learning is a social, emotional, and cognitive process-but how do young people perceive and experience this type of integrated learning in action? All of Who I Am, a new report from The Center for Promise at America’s Promise Alliance, features insights from a qualitative Read more about All of Who I Am[…]

Share

More than Ever, Meeting Students’ Needs Starts with Meeting our Own

Writing for the Fordham Institute, Matthew Taylor explores the importance of self-care for educators and the impact our modeling has on students. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Over the last several weeks, educators accomplished the mammoth task of setting up remote learning for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic. As time passes, school on Read more about More than Ever, Meeting Students’ Needs Starts with Meeting our Own[…]

Share

March Issue Brief: Whole Child Approaches

Educators have long known that focusing on academics alone is not enough. Children need support to develop academically, physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Whole child approaches attempt to integrate these needs into a coherent whole. In Core Education’s March issue brief, we explore whole child approaches, look at alternatives for defining student success, and review Read more about March Issue Brief: Whole Child Approaches[…]

Share

Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement

New Schools Venture Fund has released a new insight brief, “Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement.”  Nearly five years ago, in 2015, NSVF began investing in a national portfolio of innovative public schools that all embrace what they call an expanded definition of student success. So far, the organization has invested in Read more about Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement[…]

Share

Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success

Each year in the United States, 46 million children are exposed to violence, crime, abuse, homelessness, or food insecurity, as well as a range of other experiences that cause psychological trauma. These experiences create toxic stress that can affect children’s attention, learning, and behavior. Research on human development shows that the effects of such trauma Read more about Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success[…]

Share

How Schools Can Cultivate Courage in the Face of Fear

Recently in Getting Smart, Tyler Thigpen wrote a piece on fear in the classroom, offering educators some insight into the debilitating anxiety that some students experience. Excerpts from the piece appear below: What if by understanding where fears stem from, educators could design the learning environment for optimal courage? Courage is not about avoiding fear. Read more about How Schools Can Cultivate Courage in the Face of Fear[…]

Share