Which States Pay Teachers the Most (and Least)?

Alaska and New York pay teachers nearly double the salaries of those working in Mississippi and Oklahoma, says a new study by GoBankingRates. According to the finance website, teachers in Alaska and New York are paid each year on average $77,843 and $76,953, respectively. By contrast, the averages in Mississippi and Oklahoma are $42,043 and Read more about Which States Pay Teachers the Most (and Least)?[…]

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February Issue Brief: College Readiness

This year the United States hit a record high graduation rate of 83 percent, and 66 percent of graduating students enrolled in college. But we are discovering that high school graduation does not necessarily equate to readiness for college coursework. NAEP data show that only 37 percent of high school seniors are academically prepared for Read more about February Issue Brief: College Readiness[…]

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State Planning Tool for Standards-Based Accountability Under ESSA

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) presents states with an opportunity to broaden their visions of college and career readiness by including multiple measures of accountability that better recognize the multiple pathways to college and career readiness. A new resource from the College & Career Readiness & Success Center at AIR provides states Read more about State Planning Tool for Standards-Based Accountability Under ESSA[…]

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Colleges Enroll Many Students who Aren’t Prepared

The vast majority of public two- and four-year colleges report enrolling students – more than half a million of them – who are not ready for college-level work, a Hechinger Report investigation of 44 states has found. The numbers reveal a glaring gap in the nation’s education system: A high school diploma, no matter how Read more about Colleges Enroll Many Students who Aren’t Prepared[…]

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Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change

In the current climate of education reform, where one innovation is often quickly replaced with another, the concept of teacher ownership is critical. Those responsible for change must have a voice in creating and directing that change: teachers cannot be viewed as simply the implementers. The Annenberg Institute for School reform conducted a mixed-methods study Read more about Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change[…]

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Starting Strong

A new report, Starting Strong: How to Improve Teachers’ Entry into the Profession, from the Center for American Progress explores the challenges facing inexperienced teachers’ entry into teaching, highlights some of the early outcomes of model programs, and proposes an expansion of supported entry programs for prospective and new teachers. Excerpts appear below: When a Read more about Starting Strong[…]

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Guidance for Principals to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center released PSEL 2015 and Promoting Principal Leadership for the Success of Students with Disabilities, which outlines key steps every state can take to ensure all school principals are prepared to create and lead learning environments Read more about Guidance for Principals to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities[…]

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Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning

The Carnegie Foundation has collaborated with colleagues in the University of Michigan’s School of Education and Ross School of Business to develop a massive open online course that moves aspiring and practicing educational leaders to improve learning outcomes for all students. In this course, Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning, the aim is to develop leaders’ Read more about Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning[…]

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How Are Middle School Climate and Academic Performance Related Across Schools

Schools with a more positive student-reported climate had higher academic achievement in English language arts and mathematics than schools with a less positive climate, according to a new study from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West. While there is widespread consensus that positive school climate leads to higher academic performance, most of the research has compared Read more about How Are Middle School Climate and Academic Performance Related Across Schools[…]

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Designing Professional Learning

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership has released their Designing Professional Learning report, which provides a snapshot of the key elements involved in creating effective and engaging professional learning in a globally dispersed market. This report provides detailed guidance on how to configure and evaluate context-specific models. It includes a Learning Design Anatomy Read more about Designing Professional Learning[…]

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The Principal Story Video Series

School leadership matters. During the past decade, there has been a growing recognition among educators and policymakers that school principals must be instructional leaders who ensure that high-quality teaching occurs in every classroom. This view is backed up by a solid body of evidence showing that leadership places second only to teaching among school-related influences Read more about The Principal Story Video Series[…]

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Free Microcrentials for High School Students Preparing to become Teachers

As high school students who are preparing to become teachers develop teaching skills, they deserve recognition for their growth. Micro-credentials (or digital badges) are performance-based assessments that allow rising educators to showcase their growing skills. EdRising offers five free micro-credentials in the following topic areas: Anti-bias Instruction Classroom Culture Collaboration Formative Assessment Learner Engagement Each Read more about Free Microcrentials for High School Students Preparing to become Teachers[…]

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Instructional Choice vs. School Choice

Julia Freeland Fisher has written an insightful piece for the Christensen Institute in which she cuts through the “charter vs. district” debate and explores the sorts of instructional innovations and choices, within and across school systems, that stand to bring more students into 21st-century schools. Excerpts of her article appear below: The next generation vision Read more about Instructional Choice vs. School Choice[…]

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College Readiness: Are Different Definitions Driving Inequality?

Marc Tucker of Education week comments on college readiness for students across the nations, and the different definitions of being ready for different groups of students. Does this nationwide difference drive inequality? Excerpts of his commentary appear below: The rapidly increasing social class and racial isolation of the last four or five decades has been Read more about College Readiness: Are Different Definitions Driving Inequality?[…]

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The School Principal’s Role in Reducing Teacher Turnover

Roxanne Garza of New America recently examined the important role principals play in building a school environment that reduces teacher attrition. Excerpts from her article appear below: Recent debates about ensuring all students have effective teachers have largely centered on how to recruit, prepare, evaluate, and—more recently—develop them. But these efforts to “build a better Read more about The School Principal’s Role in Reducing Teacher Turnover[…]

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Data Equity Walk Toolkit: A New Approach to Community Engagement

The Education Trust-West has launched a new tool for advocates to use when discussing educational equity with parents, educators, students, and other community members. This new tool provides presentation materials, a video, logistical recommendations, and a facilitation guide so that advocates across the country can lead Data Equity Walks. Data Equity Walks are 45-90 minute Read more about Data Equity Walk Toolkit: A New Approach to Community Engagement[…]

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