Mario Marino of Venture Philanthropy Partners recently blogged on the importance of great people for the success of any education reform. Although his audience consists mostly of nonprofits and philanthropies, his reflections are appropriate for anyone working in the education sector. Marino writes: I’d be the last to discourage innovation, but our problem is not Read more about Great People over Great Models[…]
The results from the 6th annual Education Next survey have recently been released. Education Next is an education policy journal which, according to their website argues that “bold change is needed in American K–12 education” although they claim to partake “of no program, campaign, or ideology” and only to go “where the evidence points”. The Read more about 6th Annual Education Next Survey Results[…]
CDW-G has launched an easy to use website that is a relevant and reliable source of active grants and awards to help offset budget challenges in PreK through grade 12 and higher education institutions. GetEdFunding is a curated collection of more than 750 active grants and awards. Only funders that are willing to accept Letters Read more about Grant Funding for PreK-12 and Higher Education[…]
The Governing Board of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) met on September 12, 2012, including a joint session with the PARCC Advisory Committee on College Readiness. The board meets quarterly to make major policy and operational decisions on behalf of the PARCC consortium related to the overall design of Read more about Will PARCC and Smarter Balanced Align?[…]
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has assembled a panel of leading technical experts to work toward a consensus on what is and is not known about value-added measures for teacher evaluation. The Foundation selected individuals who have expertise in statistics and economics, without vested interests in particular value-added modeling strategies, and whose Read more about Carnegie Foundation Launches Knowledge Network: What We Know About Value Added[…]
The Hope Street Group will soon be selecting educators to participate as National Teacher Fellows. Selected fellows will be classroom teachers and school coaches from around the country who are leaders among their peers and who want to contribute their ideas and expertise in helping shape national policy. They will participate in meaningful online and Read more about Hope Street Group Announces National Teacher Fellowship[…]
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) has released a new book showcasing the latest research and trends in online teacher mentoring. The book, “Lessons Learned in Teacher Mentoring: Supporting Educators in K-12 Online Learning Environments” was made available at iNACOL’s annual conference, the Virtual School Symposium (VSS) October 21-24 in New Orleans. “This Read more about Teacher Mentoring in K-12 Online Learning Environments[…]
The Atlantic recently took a trip to San Jose, California to visit Rocketship Discovery Prep, one of seven schools run by Rocketship Education. Rocketship has been hailed as a model for future high-tech classrooms, and reformers have been impressed with their achievement outcomes with poor Latino youth. But is the secret to Rocketship’s success really Read more about High-Tech AND High-Touch[…]
The successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represents a landmark opportunity for collaboration between the higher education and K-12 sectors. Delivering on the promise of college-ready standards means students are prepared for entry-level, credit-bearing college work, and that K-12 schools and higher education institutions are more aligned on the education they deliver. Read more about The Role of Higher Education in Common Core Implementation[…]
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) released a set of sample assessment items and performance tasks online yesterday. Developed in collaboration with educators and content experts, the sample items and tasks are meant to help teachers, administrators, and policymakers better understand the Common Core State Standards and prepare for the implementation of the Smarter Read more about Smarter Balanced Releases Sample Assessment Items and Performance Tasks[…]
In a new report from the American Enterprise Institute, author Alexander Russo reflects on Teach For America’s struggles in the era of NCLB. The key points of Left out of No Child Behind: Teach for America’s Outsized Influence on Alternative Certification are below. Teach for America, one of the nation’s foremost education reform organizations, was Read more about Left Out of No Child Left Behind[…]
The U.S. Department of Education has recently awarded 30 districts with funding to support new educator evaluation and compensation systems through the Teacher Incentive Fund. This month’s issue brief offers resources and food for thought around educator evaluation. What are the most promising practices for educator evaluation? What evidence is there for evaluation reforms? What Read more about October Issue Brief: Educator Evaluation[…]
Education Week Spotlights contain essential news and commentary on the big issues. These Spotlights provide the information you need to understand the most talked-about topics. Each spotlight contains seven articles. Download the Latest Spotlights for Free! Deeper Learning: Applying brain studies to teaching students with disabilities Dual-language classes offering instruction in English and a second Read more about New Spotlights from Education Week[…]
This second in a series of two-page briefs from the National Education Policy Center summarizes current research findings on the likely effects of the widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The brief, written by Dr. William Mathis, managing director of the National Education Policy Center, notes that there is no research directly Read more about Brief Explores Likely Results of CCSS[…]
The first in a new series of two-page briefs summarizing the state of education policy research offers suggestions for policymakers designing teacher evaluation systems. The first paper, Teacher Evaluation, is written by Dr. William Mathis, managing director of the National Education Policy Center, housed at the University of Colorado’s Boulder School of Education. Mathis summarizes Read more about Research-Based Options for Education Policymaking: Teacher Evaluation[…]
A new report from the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) looks at the emerging policy focus of principal accountability. In 2011, NAESP and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) created a joint Principal Evaluation Committee to develop a framework for principal evaluation for use as a guide to improving professional practice. Read more about Rethinking Principal Evaluation[…]