Recent Paper highlights Non-Cognitive Skills

Posted on January 12, 2016March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

A new working paper from Transforming Education highlights important findings regarding non-cognitive skills, specifically self-control and social competence in students. The paper is organized around nine “headlines;” these are conclusions that the authors suggest are justified by the research literature. These headlines concern the relationship of non-cognitive skills to academics, careers, and general well-being. The Read more about Recent Paper highlights Non-Cognitive Skills[…]

We Are #TEACH STRONG

Posted on January 11, 2016January 11, 2016 by coreeducation

To create the excellent and equitable education that America’s students deserve, teachers must work to prepare students for a competitive, globalized market. As a result, we are asking more from our teachers than ever before. Yet we continue to provide them with preparation, training, and pay that aren’t designed to meet these changing demands. TeachStrong Read more about We Are #TEACH STRONG[…]

Surveying Teachers about Evaluator Feedback

Posted on January 8, 2016December 23, 2015 by coreeducation

Many states are developing or implementing teacher evaluation systems that include feedback to teachers as one part of the evaluation process. Do teachers find the feedback they receive to be useful and high quality? Regional Educational Laboratory Central has created an easy-to-use survey toolkit to help administrators answer this question in their state or district. Read more about Surveying Teachers about Evaluator Feedback[…]

Trends in State Assessment Selection and Implementation

Posted on January 7, 2016December 23, 2015 by coreeducation

Policymakers currently face major challenges when it comes to assessments. Are the assessments aligned to the state’s standards? Are students spending too much time taking tests? Should new assessments be used in school performance ratings? These questions, among others, loom large when states tackle the subject of assessment-related policy. A new report from Education Commission Read more about Trends in State Assessment Selection and Implementation[…]

Aspen Institute Releases Checklist for Education Policymakers

Posted on January 6, 2016December 23, 2015 by coreeducation

In the last several years, state policymakers have enacted a dizzying array of new policies on education issues ranging from assessment and accountability to cursive-handwriting and citizenship exams. Within states, education policy-making isn’t led by one person or entity, but many — state legislatures, state education agencies, state and local boards of education, the governor, Read more about Aspen Institute Releases Checklist for Education Policymakers[…]

NCTQ releases the 2015 State Teacher Policy Yearbook

Posted on January 5, 2016December 23, 2015 by coreeducation

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) recently released the 2015 report on State Teacher Policy. The report summarizes how the states are doing in developing policies that improve the teaching profession. The 2015 State Teacher Policy Yearbook provides a 360-degree analysis of every state law, rule, and regulation that shapes the teaching profession—from teacher Read more about NCTQ releases the 2015 State Teacher Policy Yearbook[…]

Deeper Teaching: Students at the Center of Learning

Posted on January 4, 2016March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Most high school students are accustomed to learning in two ways: by listening to the teacher and by reading books and other texts. These familiar ways of learning work for them so long as their teachers demand only that they grasp and remember the given content. However, if the goal is to help students learn Read more about Deeper Teaching: Students at the Center of Learning[…]

Implementation is the New Innovation

Posted on December 23, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

With the Obama administration’s signature education initiative, Race to the Top, concluded, states and districts should resist the temptation to try new reforms and should focus on improving implementation of the initiatives adopted to increase student success and close achievement gaps. A new report by Education First, a national education policy organization that worked closely Read more about Implementation is the New Innovation[…]

Setting Roles and Responsibilities of the State Education Agency

Posted on December 22, 2015December 16, 2015 by coreeducation

A new resource, from the Aspen Institute’s Education & Society Program, challenges state chiefs and their leadership teams to consider their local context and capacity in determining essential, possible, and unsuitable roles for their agency and to make staffing and funding decisions that reflect this context. This discussion guide helps state leaders consider what roles Read more about Setting Roles and Responsibilities of the State Education Agency[…]

State of the States 2015: Evaluating Teaching, Leading, Learning

Posted on December 21, 2015December 16, 2015 by coreeducation

A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) examines the policy landscape of teacher and principal evaluations, as well as various states’ successes in using evaluations to inform teacher practice and administrative decisions. As of 2015, twenty-seven states require annual evaluations for all teachers, and forty-five require annual evaluations for all new, Read more about State of the States 2015: Evaluating Teaching, Leading, Learning[…]

NCES Releases Statistics in Brief on Public School Teacher Autonomy in the Classroom

Posted on December 18, 2015December 11, 2015 by coreeducation

The National Council of Education Statistics (NCES) has released Public School Teacher Autonomy in the Classroom Across School Years 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2011–12. This report traces the feelings of public school educators when it comes to their own autonomy in the classroom. According to the report brief, larger percentages of teachers perceived low autonomy in 2007-08 Read more about NCES Releases Statistics in Brief on Public School Teacher Autonomy in the Classroom[…]

Continued Progress: Promising Evidence on Personalized Learning

Posted on December 17, 2015March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

The Gates Foundation and Rand Corporation have partnered to create a report focused on personalized learning approaches to education. This report, Continued Progress: Promising Evidence on Personalized Learning, examines achievement in 62 public charter and district schools that are pursuing a variety of personalized learning practices, and examines implementation details in 32 of those schools. Read more about Continued Progress: Promising Evidence on Personalized Learning[…]

California’s Common Core aligned High School Exams Save Money

Posted on December 16, 2015December 11, 2015 by coreeducation

In California, high school exams that are aligned with the Common Core are being accepted as proof that high school students are ready for college level work. These exam results are also saving students from having to take individual placement tests and remedial not-for-credit courses before being allowed to take for-credit classes. One of the Read more about California’s Common Core aligned High School Exams Save Money[…]

What ESSA Means for Teacher Effectiveness

Posted on December 15, 2015December 11, 2015 by coreeducation

As this blog reported, the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act was signed into law on December 10, 2015. The new law, deemed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is good for the next four years. SY2016-17 is a transition year, and the law will be in full effect in SY2017-18. We have previously provided Read more about What ESSA Means for Teacher Effectiveness[…]

State Teacher of the Year Recipients Weigh in on New Consortia Assessments

Posted on December 14, 2015December 9, 2015 by coreeducation

A recent report released by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) states that among those educators who have be awarded Teacher of the Year, there is a consensus that new consortia assessments, PARCC and Smarter Balance, are on the right trajectory and are an improvement on previous state assessments. Related findings Read more about State Teacher of the Year Recipients Weigh in on New Consortia Assessments[…]

The U.S. Falls Behind in Global Education Economy

Posted on December 11, 2015December 4, 2015 by coreeducation

A recent report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that the U.S. is sending a smaller percentage of students to college than at least 46 different nations. Additionally, enrollment in preschool has fallen in the U.S. and has exploded internationally. In fact: The more than 500-page report analyzed the education systems Read more about The U.S. Falls Behind in Global Education Economy[…]