No Panacea: Key Obstacles to Effective Teacher Professional Development

Posted on June 21, 2016June 16, 2016 by coreeducation

Historically, states and districts have invested large sums on teacher professional development or “PD” as the primary strategy to help teachers improve their practice. Despite its potential, in its present state, PD has gained a poor reputation among educators and those who study education, in part because little evidence exists that the significant investment of Read more about No Panacea: Key Obstacles to Effective Teacher Professional Development[…]

June Issue Brief: Education and Inequality

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 by coreeducation

Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, the ticket to the American dream. But if educational opportunities are not offered equitably to all students, the American dream remains out of reach for youth. In this month’s issue brief, we explore new data on inequities in education, look at outcomes related to education funding, and Read more about June Issue Brief: Education and Inequality[…]

One Year Later: Can State Equity Plans Improve Access to Great Teaching?

Posted on June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 by coreeducation

Teaching quality is recognized as the most powerful school-based factor in student learning. However, capacity and often commitment have been insufficient across states and districts to ensure all students have equitable access to excellent educators. Too often, students from low-income families and students of color experience educational “opportunity gaps,” meaning they have less access to Read more about One Year Later: Can State Equity Plans Improve Access to Great Teaching?[…]

edTPA Teaching Exam’s Ties to Effectiveness Mixed

Posted on June 16, 2016June 16, 2016 by coreeducation

A new study finds that teacher candidates who passed the edTPA teacher performance assessment for certification and licensure on their first try tended to boost their students’ reading test scores more in their first year of teaching than those who didn’t. While that finding is good news for supporters of the Teacher Performance Assessment, or Read more about edTPA Teaching Exam’s Ties to Effectiveness Mixed[…]

New Archive of Free Common-Core Materials

Posted on June 15, 2016June 9, 2016 by coreeducation

The materials on EngageNY, the online library of common-core-aligned curricula hosted by New York state’s education department, have now been downloaded more than 45 million times, far surpassing many people’s expectations for the free resource created just five years ago. But with the website’s federal funding source having all but dried up, a new group Read more about New Archive of Free Common-Core Materials[…]

Through a Student’s Eyes

Posted on June 14, 2016June 14, 2016 by coreeducation

Do teachers really know what students go through? To find out, one teacher followed two students for two days and was amazed at what she found. Her report appeared on the blog of Grant Wiggins, the co-author of Understanding by Design and the author of Educative Assessment. Alexis Wiggins’ article is excerpted Read more about Through a Student’s Eyes[…]

New Research Tracks Retention Rates in Teaching Residency Programs

Posted on June 13, 2016June 9, 2016 by coreeducation

Beginning educators who participate in teaching residency programs (TRPs) are more likely to remain in the same school district than teachers trained through other programs, according to research from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). A new report from ED’s National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) examines the retention rates of new Read more about New Research Tracks Retention Rates in Teaching Residency Programs[…]

CEP Survey Finds Teachers Are Feeling Stressed

Posted on June 9, 2016June 5, 2016 by coreeducation

Although they find parts of their jobs immensely rewarding, many teachers feel ignored in education policy discussions and are frustrated with the constantly changing demands on them, a new survey finds. Listen to Us: Teacher Views and Voices released by the nonprofit Center on Education Policy, is based on online interviews with a nationally representative Read more about CEP Survey Finds Teachers Are Feeling Stressed[…]

The Evidence on Non-Cognitive Skills from California’s CORE Districts

Posted on June 8, 2016March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Previously, this blog introduced readers to the work of California’s CORE Districts. Now preliminary evidence is out, and we are able to look more closely at the use of self-report surveys of non-cognitive skills as a potential element of school accountability systems. Analysis of data from the CORE field test indicates that the scales used Read more about The Evidence on Non-Cognitive Skills from California’s CORE Districts[…]

Exploring the Teacher Shortage Dilemma

Posted on June 7, 2016June 5, 2016 by coreeducation

The critical issue of teacher shortages is often featured in today’s news headlines. Whether a shortage exists varies from state to state as do the root causes and the approaches states are taking to address the issue. To support policymakers, Education Commission of the States conducted extensive research on the topic and created a comprehensive Read more about Exploring the Teacher Shortage Dilemma[…]

Why I Plan to Stay in Teaching

Posted on June 6, 2016June 3, 2016 by coreeducation

A recent Education Week blog written by teacher Justin Minkel offers up a counterpoint to those articles that explain why teachers leave the profession. He begins with a poignant introduction: I groan each time another “Why I Quit Teaching” story pops up in my Facebook feed. These columns by teachers who decided to leave teaching are often confessional, Read more about Why I Plan to Stay in Teaching[…]

Developing Excellent School Principals: Considerations for State Policy

Posted on June 3, 2016May 27, 2016 by coreeducation

Even though school principals have a powerful impact on teaching and student achievement, in general they remain relatively low priorities on crowded state education policy agendas. A new report recently released suggests a number of possible actions that state policymakers can consider to raise the profile of principals on policy agendas and ensure they are Read more about Developing Excellent School Principals: Considerations for State Policy[…]

Eyes on the Prize: System-Wide Goals to Drive Student Success

Posted on June 2, 2016March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

In the first of a series of research briefs focused on the biggest implementation challenges facing American education today, EDI looks at what data from the field can tell us about education leaders’ capacity to anchor their work in clear student outcome goals. Eyes on the prize: The capacity of education leaders to use system-wide Read more about Eyes on the Prize: System-Wide Goals to Drive Student Success[…]

Making the Grade: A 50 State Analysis of Accountability Systems

Posted on June 1, 2016June 1, 2016 by coreeducation

Over the past 15 years, a national consensus has slowly coalesced around one of the most enduring and contentious debates in education circles: how to hold schools and districts accountable for improving outcomes. The Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, is in many ways the culmination of the movement towards more sophisticated accountability systems and Read more about Making the Grade: A 50 State Analysis of Accountability Systems[…]

Comparisons of NAEP Results: Two Points of View

Posted on May 31, 2016May 27, 2016 by coreeducation

Below, two articles are excerpted that come to very different conclusions about the recent NAEP results for high school seniors. Education Week author Liana Heitin writes: High school seniors have lost ground in math over the last two years, according to the most recent scores on a national achievement test. In reading, 12th grade scores remained Read more about Comparisons of NAEP Results: Two Points of View[…]