How much do Americans trust the Obama Administration on Education?

Posted on December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 by coreeducation

According to a recent Gallup/USA Today poll, Americans are 3% less optimistic about the Obama administration’s chances of improving the state of American Education. All things considered, this very modest drop should be seen as proof of a favorable American attitude toward the Obama administration and education. First, as the Gallup poll reminds us, “Americans Read more about How much do Americans trust the Obama Administration on Education?[…]

December Issue Brief: Education and the Election

Posted on December 21, 2012 by coreeducation

Last month’s election results mean four more years of the Obama Administration, with an Education Department headed by Secretary Arne Duncan. But what exactly does that mean for funding, federal policy and local implementation related to education? In this month’s issue brief, we explore the meaning for both K-12 and higher education. We’d like to Read more about December Issue Brief: Education and the Election[…]

A teacher’s letter to the fallen teachers of Sandy Hook

Posted on December 20, 2012September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Yesterday, Katy Farber offered the following letter to the fallen teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary. We repost it here in honor of their memories and in respect for the selfless acts that teachers perform in our nation’s schools each day. To my fallen colleagues, I heard your stories today on the radio, on my way Read more about A teacher’s letter to the fallen teachers of Sandy Hook[…]

BetterLesson offers Stipend for Master Math Teachers

Posted on December 19, 2012 by coreeducation

BetterLesson has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to offer a two-year program for master math teachers to develop Common Core aligned math curriculum that they would share with other teachers. For those skilled teachers selected, BetterLesson is offering a stipend of $30,000 paid out over the course of 1.5 years for contracted, Read more about BetterLesson offers Stipend for Master Math Teachers[…]

Trusting Teachers with School Success

Posted on December 18, 2012 by coreeducation

In the much-debated world of education policy, particularly over the last few years, teachers have taken much of the flak regarding the lack of student achievement and failing schools. Washington DC public schools (DCPS) stands as a lightning rod for these debates. As we wrote about recently (https://coreeducationllc.com/blog2/is-dcps-a-model-urban-school-district/), some see DCPS as a model for Read more about Trusting Teachers with School Success[…]

Value-Added Measures as a “screening test” on both teachers and their observers

Posted on December 17, 2012September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Economist Douglas Harris sees one clear priority for the Education Department: “Now that the election is over, the Obama Administration and policymakers nationally can return to governing. Of all the education-related decisions that have to be made, the future of teacher evaluation has to be front and center.” Within this large issue of teacher evaluations, Read more about Value-Added Measures as a “screening test” on both teachers and their observers[…]

Teacher raises: What works best?

Posted on December 16, 2012September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

A crucial question at the nexus of the issues of student achievement and battles between school districts and teachers unions is the issue of teacher pay scale. A helpful study by Jason A. Grissom of Vanderbilt University and Katharine O. Strunk of the University of Southern California has recently delved deeply into this question and Read more about Teacher raises: What works best?[…]

How much does Standardized Testing actually cost?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by coreeducation

The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution has recently released a report on the current cost of standardized testing in United States. The purpose of the study is to shed light on current costs so that there will be an accurate baseline upon which to compare new statistics once Common Core testing Read more about How much does Standardized Testing actually cost?[…]

16 Race to the Top District Winners Announced

Posted on December 12, 2012September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

On December 11, 2012, the Education Department announced the 16 winners of the Race to the Top school district grants (RTTD). 61 Finalists had been announced recently out of an original 372 districts that turned in applications in November. A total of $400 million was due to go out, and winners ranged from $10 million Read more about 16 Race to the Top District Winners Announced[…]

Webinar: Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age

Posted on December 10, 2012 by coreeducation

This Tuesday, the Alliance for Excellent Education will host a webinar entitled “Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age.” The webinar will be moderated by Mary Ann Wolf of the Alliance for Excellent Education. The panelists, who will provide a diversity of views from different perspectives within the field,will be Barnett Read more about Webinar: Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age[…]

Teacher Absenteeism is a “Leading Indicator” of Student Success

Posted on December 9, 2012 by coreeducation

A new paper recently released by the Center for American Progress argues that excessive teacher absences, as might be expected, cause decreases in student achievement and waste school district resources. However, the paper asserts that problem of these excessive absences could be fairly easily alleviated because “the vast variation in teacher absence behavior means there Read more about Teacher Absenteeism is a “Leading Indicator” of Student Success[…]

Is DCPS a model urban school district?

Posted on December 7, 2012 by coreeducation

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) has recently released a new report, Keeping Irreplaceables in D.C. Public Schools: Lessons in Smart Retention, which holds up the reforms begun in DC public schools by former schools chancellor Michelle Rhee as a model for human capital reform. The main thrust of the reforms highlighted concerns good teacher retention Read more about Is DCPS a model urban school district?[…]

Does Common Core Overemphasize Non-Fiction?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by coreeducation

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 Top Five Obama Administration Education Policy Misses

Posted on December 4, 2012 by coreeducation

Yesterday we posted information from Higher Ed Watch’s blog about the biggest hits in higher education of the Obama Administration. Today, we look at the five biggest misses of this administration. Since Education Department secretary Arne Duncan has suggested that he plans to stay in his position and keep the Education Department on the same Read more about The Top Five Obama Administration Education Policy Misses[…]

The Top Five Obama Administration Education Policy Hits

Posted on December 3, 2012December 4, 2012 by coreeducation

The Higher Ed Watch blog from the New America Foundation recently posted what they consider to be the biggest hits of the Obama administration related to higher education. Since Education Department secretary Arne Duncan has suggested that he plans to stay in his position and to help keep the Education Department on the same course Read more about The Top Five Obama Administration Education Policy Hits[…]

Are NCLB Waivers Ignoring the Importance of Graduation Rates?

Posted on December 2, 2012September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Various education-focused organizations, as well as government officials, have been questioning the recent policy of Education secretary Arne Duncan and the Obama Administration to provide waivers to those states who have not been able to meet the standards laid out by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Originally, NCLB laid out the goal Read more about Are NCLB Waivers Ignoring the Importance of Graduation Rates?[…]