The Regional Educational Laboratories Program has released a new video series that explains how schools, districts, states, and their research partners can use a cost-effective approach, known as “opportunistic experiments,” to test the effectiveness of programs. Under the right circumstances, this type of research study can generate evidence for informing Read more
The Getting Smart team has released Preparing Teachers for a Project-Based World, a publication exploring how teacher preparation and professional learning can align to–and be modeled after–the types of deeper learning environments we seek to create for students. This publication is part of Getting Smart’s year long It’s a Project-Based Read more
There are many flavors of school choice—vouchers, education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, and charters, to name a few. Voucher is the word on everyone’s mind at the moment and it’s a politically loaded term. Many of the other types of choice people hear about—education savings accounts and tax-credit scholarships—are just Read more
A new study finds that the usefulness of teacher evaluation feedback and the credibility of the evaluator are important characteristics in how teachers perceive and respond to evaluations. The Regional Educational Laboratory Central study looked at teachers’ perceptions of feedback from evaluators and identified characteristics of feedback that may influence Read more
Many states and districts are adopting commercially available teacher observation instruments for the professional practice component of their evaluation systems. A report by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Mid-Atlantic provides new evidence to help educators choose among five widely used “off-the shelf” teacher observation instruments and decide how much weight to Read more
More than 1 in 4 of the nation’s full-time teachers are considered chronically absent from school, according to federal data, missing the equivalent of more than two weeks of classes each academic year in what some districts say has become an educational crisis. The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Read more
When the U.S. Department of Education granted states waivers to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), those waivers came with conditions. The waivers required states to adopt teacher evaluations that, among other requirements, were based in part on student performance data. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ends these Read more
Becoming Brilliant, a new book by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff explores the definition of brilliance in the modern information age. Below, excerpts from a post in the Brookings Blog provide an overview of this new way of thinking: The amount of knowledge available in books and online is Read more
States are now deeply engaged in developing plans for their federal education spending for the next several years. Now is the time to rethink systems and strategies and to focus funds and efforts on what matters most for learning: great teachers and leaders for every student and school. Written collaboratively Read more
According to a report from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), three performance measures used for evaluating teachers and principals provided some information to distinguish educator performance and led to increased feedback. The study examined the first year implementation of a set of three performance measures: Read more
A strong body of research, and the example of other nations, supports a relationship between student performance and the selectivity of admissions into teacher prep programs. Therefore, America’s institutions training teachers should set high standards to admit only the best candidates to become the teachers. According to a new report Read more
David Griffith and Michael Petrilli have put their minds together to produce an ideal ESSA accountability system as a model for state education agencies. Below are excerpts from their recent blog post: States are now putting pen to paper on their accountability plans and many of them want advice about Read more
Marc Tucker recently penned a letter to President-Elect Trump, outlining the importance of education to the American economy. Portions of it appear below: Dear President-Elect Trump, People are counting on you because you told them that you can restore their jobs and their incomes, and, most important, their pride and Read more
The Center on Great Teachers & Leaders has released a new discussion guide, Teacher Effectiveness in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Systemic challenges in the educator workforce require thoughtful and bold actions, and ESSA presents a unique opportunity for states to reaffirm, modify, or improve their vision of educator effectiveness. Read more
Natalie Orenstein of New America has written an article about the need for states to offer specialized certification for teachers of early childhood. She writes: Teaching young children takes a different skill set than teaching older children, yet many states’ training programs are not preparing teachers for these special demands. Read more
The Institute of Education Sciences has released a new report entitled Do Low Income Students Have Access to Effective Teachers? Evidence from 26 Districts. The report from the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) examines whether low-income students are taught by less effective teachers than high-income students, Read more