The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was passed by Congress in December, and the law affords states much more flexibility to develop innovative educational systems and accountability processes. Now is an incredible opportunity for the transformation of American education, state by state. In this month’s issue brief, Core Education explores Read more
Each month in Core Education’s issue brief, we post a call for commentary. We always enjoy hearing great ideas from our readers! Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with Margie Johnson of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) about an innovative approach to collaborative inquiry that the district is implementing. Read more
As states work to finalize plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) by the 2017-18 school year, Education First asks, what is your state’s North Star and how can you use ESSA to help you chart a course to reach it? When a state has an education North Star Read more
A new national survey reveals large disconnects between how well parents believe their children perform academically and their actual performance. It also finds that parental aspirations for their child to go to college are much higher than data on the percentage of children who get to and through college. Results Read more
In the late 1970’s, education research was deemed a pseudoscience by many in the field due to a lack of clear data and results that pointed to effective practice. In response, researchers began designing field experiments to test the effectiveness of programs and practices. In recent years, as concern over Read more
A recent report from Thomas Toch at Georgetown University analyzes the national teacher-evaluation reform movement and finds that it has been far more beneficial than its many critics would suggest. In a growing number of states and school districts, new, more meaningful evaluation systems have focused principals’ attention on instruction, Read more
Whether the goal is to enhance instruction, create a culture of excellence, or broaden education options for parents, it’s nearly impossible to improve schools without strong leaders. This is hardly news; much evidence has indicated the importance of effective principals for decades. Yet reform strategies have largely lacked a coherent Read more
A recent opinion blog, written by Michael J. Petrilli, President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, discusses the education sector’s exhaustion with policies on education reform. Mr. Petrilli writes: It strikes me, and several others with whom I’ve spoken in recent months, that education reform is at a turning point. Read more
A group of leading teacher preparation program providers – Deans for Impact – released a set of policy recommendations calling for outcomes-based accountability and data-informed improvement in teacher preparation. Their recommendations are consistent with the following findings: Teacher preparation programs are disconnected from local labor market needs. There is no incentive for teacher Read more
When teachers leave teaching, where do they go next? Are they getting good jobs outside of education? Or are subsequent jobs more of a lateral move? Do teachers who quit teaching also quit working? A recent article by the Brookings Institute takes a look at several data sources to see Read more
As a result of new, more rigorous college and career standards, many school leaders and educators are asking, “What does a college- and career-ready assignment look like?” Ed Trust answers that question in a new report and interactive assignment tool. “Checking In Update: More Assignments From Real Classrooms” is the Read more
A recent Education Week blog by Marc Tucker examines what it truly takes to get a first-rate teacher in front of every student, and compares the United States systems to the rest of the world. Some experts estimate that half of those who start a career in teaching are gone in Read more
ASCD has announced its Teacher Impact Grants program, which will provide direct grants to teacher leaders to fund initiatives that drive transformation for wider impact on improving student outcomes. The Teacher Impact Grants will enable teachers to have a greater impact on the quality of teaching in their classrooms, schools, and districts—and Read more
Nowadays, most employers expect their workers to continually seek out learning opportunities. Micro-credentials offer students and working professionals alike a way to bulk up their resumes with field-specific skills. Micro-credentials are like certifications. Students or professionals take courses and develop specific skills in certain fields. This could include topics like: Read more
Sean Reardon and colleagues at the Graduate School of Education reviewed more than 200 million test scores to spotlight communities with the nation’s worst achievement gaps. The results show almost every school district enrolling large numbers of low-income students has an average academic performance significantly below the national grade-level average. Read more
A recent report from Brookings explores the research behind and the challenges with schools taking up the responsibility of enhancing students’ soft skills. Below is a brief summary of the report and its recommendations: The nation’s PK-12 education ecosystem is poised to embrace programs intended to enhance soft skills. Soft Read more