Obama touts ConnectED Initiative to Bring High Speed Internet to Schools

Posted on July 9, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

The goal of ConnectEd: connect 99% of America’s public schools to high speed Internet in 5 years. The Obama administration hopes that accomplishing this feat will enable schools and teachers to take advantage of educational technology and software that will allow for more rapid evaluation of student progress. Furthermore, the administration’s plan, based on elements Read more about Obama touts ConnectED Initiative to Bring High Speed Internet to Schools[…]

What role will teacher-voice groups play?

Posted on July 8, 2013 by coreeducation

A new report by Kaitlin Pennington of the Center for American Progress highlights the increase of teacher-voice groups. These groups allow teachers to continue teaching while also having a chance to impact education policy more directly. Furthermore, they provide current teachers with more active leadership positions. In addition, these groups allow for a greater multiplicity Read more about What role will teacher-voice groups play?[…]

Conservative support for Common Core

Posted on July 7, 2013 by coreeducation

While criticism of the Common Core State Standards has largely come from expected conservative sources, such as the Republican National Committee, which this blog discussed here, other conservative voices have spoken up in support of Common Core. In an opinion piece, entitled “GOP fear of Common Core education standards unfounded”, in The Washington Post that Read more about Conservative support for Common Core[…]

[Blue] Engine for Growth

Posted on July 5, 2013 by coreeducation

While models such as Teach for America have taken some flack in recent years for their lack of adequate preparation and lack of a long term model, no one disagrees with the goal of the program: to help struggling students in struggling schools, usually urban ones, find greater academic success. The Blue Engine Program, which Read more about [Blue] Engine for Growth[…]

Map Provides Context for Reforms of Teacher Evaluation Systems

Posted on July 4, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Since 2009, more than 35 states have made policy changes to their system of teacher evaluations. Many factors have driven the increase of teacher evaluation overhauls, including federal grant programs such as Race to the Top and the Teacher Incentive Fund, as well as the administration’s No Child Left Behind waivers. Recently, a network of Read more about Map Provides Context for Reforms of Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]

Rating Early Elementary Teachers: Where’s the Data?

Posted on July 3, 2013 by coreeducation

A new report, “An Ocean of Unknowns”, from Laura Bornfreund at the New America Foundation describes the challenges involved with attempting to reform teacher evaluation systems to include student data for pre-k through grade 2 students. Following are portions from the executive summary of that report: What is the best way to use data to Read more about Rating Early Elementary Teachers: Where’s the Data?[…]

NCES Releases The Condition of Education 2013

Posted on July 2, 2013 by coreeducation

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released The Condition of Education 2013. The 42 indicators presented in The Condition of Education 2013 provide a progress report on education in America and include findings on the demographics of American schools, U.S. resources for schooling, and outcomes associated with education. Report findings include: As of 2012, Read more about NCES Releases The Condition of Education 2013[…]

New Resources from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders

Posted on July 1, 2013 by coreeducation

The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders combines the efforts of three education organizations: American Institutes for Research (AIR), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and Public Impact. They are dedicated to supporting state education leaders in their efforts to grow, respect, and retain great teachers and leaders for all students. The GTL Center continues Read more about New Resources from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders[…]

A Waiver from the Waivers

Posted on June 20, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

The U.S. Department of Education has decided that due to ambitious timelines for the implementation of college and career-ready standards, new assessments aligned with those standards, and new teacher and principal evaluations, states may request waivers to ensure that there is sufficient time to prepare teachers for implementation of the new standards before stakes are Read more about A Waiver from the Waivers[…]

NCTQ report on teacher training programs spurs controversy

Posted on June 19, 2013 by coreeducation

The National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based education think-tank, recently published its long awaited Teacher Prep Review. The report, based on a four star system, judged only four programs at four stars. On the other hand, NCTQ judged 160 programs as so poor that they put them on a special consumer watch list. NCTQ Read more about NCTQ report on teacher training programs spurs controversy[…]

The ESEA Rewrites in the Works

Posted on June 18, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Originally signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) technically expired in 2007. On several occasions over the last few years, various attempts have been made by both political parties in Congress to rewrite the law, but they ultimately fell short. Since 2012, President Read more about The ESEA Rewrites in the Works[…]

Does Value-Added Work Better in Elementary than Secondary Grades?

Posted on June 17, 2013 by coreeducation

Value-added methodology is being applied to the evaluation of teachers in tested grades and subjects, but the vast majority of the research on value-added measures focuses on elementary schools only. Secondary grades differ from elementary grades in ways that are meaningful for the validity and reliability of value-added measures for secondary teachers. In a new Read more about Does Value-Added Work Better in Elementary than Secondary Grades?[…]

Caution on Next Generation Science Standards

Posted on June 16, 2013 by coreeducation

A new set of science standards to complement the Common Core has been touted as crucial reform to a crucial subject, but the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has recently urged states considering the “Next Generation Science Standards” to “exercise caution and patience.” Chester Finn and Kathleen Porter-Magee at the Common Core Watch, part of the Read more about Caution on Next Generation Science Standards[…]

5 Tips for Principals to Put New Teachers on the Right Path

Posted on June 13, 2013 by coreeducation

This tipsheet is a complement to TNTP’s latest report, Leap Year: Assessing and Supporting Effective First-Year Teachers, which shares what TNTP learned after radically evolving the way they train and evaluate new teachers. It is based on a simple idea: The first year is the most important year of a teacher’s career—a critical window of Read more about 5 Tips for Principals to Put New Teachers on the Right Path[…]

Restructure Compensation And Career Paths

Posted on June 11, 2013June 11, 2013 by coreeducation

ERS is excited to announce a new suite of tools and publications to support the design of new teacher compensation systems and career pathways that reward high-quality teaching and offer teachers opportunities to advance without leaving the classroom. Based on extensive research of current best practices within and outside of education, and funded by the Read more about Restructure Compensation And Career Paths[…]