Les Francis & Bo Cutter of Real Clear Education have written a new piece about how we need to rethink education based on the way that jobs and the economy are likely to work in coming decades. Here is an excerpt from it: The organization of work that was the centerpiece of our industrial economy Read more about Our Global Failure in the New American Economy[…]
The Foundation for Excellence in Education is launching a new initiative called EdPolicy Leaders Online, a series of free, self-paced online education reform massive open online courses (MOOCs) designed specifically for policymakers and education reform partners. The courses feature nearly 40 experts and leaders across the education landscape from superintendents to senators, parents to policymakers, Read more about EdPolicy Leaders Online[…]
The third in a series of reports evaluating a multi-year Wallace initiative explores the ways in which six districts are working to improve school leadership districtwide. The report, Building a Stronger Principalship, describes several new measures districts are implementing, including: systematic support for assistant principals the use of performance standards to hire and evaluate principals, Read more about Building a Stronger Principal Pipeline[…]
The Rural Opportunities Consortium of Idaho, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, and Bellwether Education Partners have teamed up to write a new report, “Federal Education Policy In Rural America”. The authors of the report believe that, while roughly a quarter of American students are educated in rural areas, federal policy is not suited to Read more about Federal Education Policy in Rural America[…]
Education Policy 101 is an innovative online course that introduces the key education policies that affect American K-12 students. It provides a comprehensive, research-based foundation for navigating current education-policy issues such as school choice, teacher quality, education finance, early childhood education and standards and accountability. Course instructors include: Martin West, Harvard Graduate School of Education Read more about Education Policy 101 — a joint project of 50CAN and the Fordham Institute[…]
Digital Promise has released “Developing a System of Micro-credentials: Supporting Deeper Learning in the Classroom,” a publication that explores the Deeper Learning Framework and identifies the specific skills students must master to achieve at high levels. Additionally, it showcases the set of 40 educator micro-credentials Digital Promise designed to ensure that teachers have the competencies Read more about Supporting Deeper Learning in the Classroom[…]
Education non-profit GreatSchools is out with videos in English and Spanish that detail Common Core expectations for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The short videos are meant to help educators and parents better understand what children should know how to do and when. For example, the math videos for first grade ask, “How easily Read more about GreatSchools releases Common Core aligned videos[…]
In the final installment of Marc Tucker’s blog series on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, Gene Wilhoit, the former Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, discusses the need to transform how we recruit, train, and develop our teachers and the consequences of failing to do so. Wilhoit and Read more about Gene Wilhoit: Transforming how we recruit, train, and develop teachers[…]
James S. Murphy of Princeton Review, writing for The Atlantic, recently penned an article about the new SAT based on new sample questions which the College Board released. Murphy is encouraged by the changes that the SAT is making away from its obscure vocabulary focus and away from abstract essays, but he is less than Read more about New SAT, New Problems[…]
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments are the product of a testing consortium attempting to provide 21st century testing to measure 21st century skills. Here is PARCC’s own description of their role: PARCC is your state’s homegrown assessment. PARCC is not a testing company – it’s a group of Read more about PARCC Releases Practice Tests for all Grade Levels[…]
Studies have shown that new teacher evaluation systems are being implemented at record rates, but questions remain about how best to implement those systems. In collaboration with the Northeast Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance and the New Hampshire Department of Education, REL Northeast and Islands examined the implementation of new district teacher evaluation systems in the Read more about Five Factors that Affect Implementation of New Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]
It is a well-accepted tenet of education research at this point that teacher quality is the biggest school-based factor in student achievement, but how much is teacher quality associated with education background and certification status? This is the question that new research from the Bush Institute seeks to answer. One report in particular stands out: Read more about The Bush Institute releases Teacher Effectiveness Research[…]
Achieve’s ninth annual “Closing the Expectations Gap” report, released recently, shows the progress that states have made in advancing college and career readiness while also revealing that much work remains to be done to ensure that all students are academically prepared to succeed in college and careers after high school. “States have made some progress Read more about Achieve’s Report Details States’ Progress in Advancing College and Career Readiness[…]
A new report from the OECD offers a detailed look at 450 education reforms adopted across OECD countries between 2008 and 2014. The (OECD) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s mission is to “promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.” Of those 450 education reforms, 16 percent Read more about A Global Look at Education Reform[…]
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has released the results of its two-year study of the influential, longstanding Carnegie Unit and its impact on education reform in K-12 and higher education. The Carnegie Unit: A Century-Old Standard in a Changing Education Landscape, authored by Carnegie’s Elena Silva, Thomas Toch, and Taylor White, describes Read more about The Carnegie Unit: A Century-Old Standard in a Changing Education Landscape[…]
Principals’ roles have expanded significantly over the past decade. These leaders face new challenges and new levels of accountability. Performance evaluation provides a powerful tool for developing leadership practices, but many districts and administrators are inexperienced with this strategy. AIR engaged educators in three states to design the Five Essential Practices of School Leadership framework, Read more about Building Leadership Talent Through Performance Evaluation[…]