Education Evolving is launching, in partnership with the Center for Teaching Quality, an online guide: “Steps to Creating a Teacher-Powered School.” The guide walks educators through the stages in creating a school designed and run by teachers. It’s an updated, interactive version of the PDF guide with the same name released earlier this year. This Read more about Creating a Teacher-Powered School[…]
The Time for Equity Indicators Framework is a web-based tool today that provides school and district leaders, reform support partners, researchers, and community organizations with a wealth of information about how to effectively measure the process and impact of expanding and reimagining learning time. It has been developed by the Annenberg Institute Read more about Time for Equity Indicators Framework[…]
A new report on teacher evaluation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching by Taylor White evaluates many of the new, more complex, (and hopefully more fair) teacher evaluation systems being rolled out in various school systems. State and local policymakers are starting to replace the often-cursory teacher observations of the past with Read more about Adding Eyes: The Rise, Rewards, and Risks of Multi-Rater Teacher Observation Systems[…]
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was engaged by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct a research study on professional development for teachers to help identify needs and opportunities for improvement. To inform this research, between January and March 2014, BCG engaged more than 1,300 stakeholders—including teachers, professional development leaders in district and state Read more about Teachers Know Best: Teachers’ Views on Professional Development[…]
There has been a growing debate over the role state education agencies should play in our K-12 system. A just-released ERS report makes the case that we shouldn’t be focused on expanding or limiting the role of states but on ensuring they are more strategic in how they support districts and schools. In “Spinning Straw Read more about Spin Straw into Gold — A Report Highlights Role States Can Play to Support Districts[…]
From Rachel Herzfeldt-Kamprath and Maryam Adamu at Center for American Progress comes a new report about the importance of reforms to early childhood education. The past decade has been significant for the growth of early childhood programs. From the increased understanding of brain development in infants and toddlers to the more rigorous monitoring of social Read more about Why We Need a Federal Preschool Investment in 6 Charts[…]
Districts across the country use wildly different salary scales for compensating teachers – and a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality does the math on what that means for career educators. NCTQ even factors in the cost of living to come up with some eye-popping statistics. For instance: A teacher at the Read more about Smart money: What teachers make, how long it takes and what it buys them[…]
In today’s information age, educational resources are being shared on an unprecedented scale. Common standards facilitate this sharing across districts and states, and national organizations and non-profits are beginning to develop open educational resources (OERs) for widespread use. While OERs are becoming more prevalent, how can educators locate materials that are worth one’s time and Read more about December Issue Brief: Open Educational Resources[…]
In today’s contentious education debates, Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) offer a compelling middle ground that provides rigor and concrete data yet in a way that accommodates student needs. The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) has several new resources available for education leaders to use in order to take full advantage of the Read more about New SLO Resources from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders[…]
Teachers need ongoing, targeted supports to be effective. That’s why district and state leaders across the country are changing how they evaluate and support teachers. Over the past three years, 16 states have changed their teacher evaluation policies, with another 28 poised to do so in the next few years. It is well known that Read more about New Evaluation & Support Briefs from Education First[…]
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education released the FAQ guidance for states as they develop plans to ensure equitable access to excellent educators for students from low-income families and students of color. The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) is pleased to launch the Equitable Access Toolkit to support states in this work. Read more about Equitable Access Toolkit to Guide State Educator Equity Planning[…]
Khan Academy has a new resource for helping students and parents navigate the college admissions process. It includes video interviews and conversations with successful students from all walks of life and admissions officers and counselors at some of the nation’s top schools. One of the best features is “Making High School Count,” which talks students Read more about Free Resource for Students and Parents Preparing for College[…]
Achieve recently announced the release of Classroom Sample Assessment Tasks for middle and high school grades. These sample tasks, written by secondary science and math teachers, provide examples of how content and practices from both the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics can be assessed together in Read more about Achieve Releases Classroom Sample Assessment Tasks for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)[…]
In today’s rapidly changing global economy, “21st century skills” means much more than proficiency in basic academic subjects. One of the most important non-cognitive competencies for student success is conscientiousness, which encompasses traits such as perseverance, self-regulation, resilience, and responsibility. This policy brief provides an overview of conscientiousness and its relationship to student achievement, and Read more about Brief: Understanding Conscientiousness and Its Role in Improved Student Achievement[…]
Over the years, various research studies have suggested that teachers have the greatest school-based effect on student achievement. In recent years, however, the crucial role of principals has also been made clearer by research. So, how does principal turnover harm students? The turnover rate for principals is higher than nearly any other white-collar profession, with Read more about Reducing the Principal Turnover Rate[…]
The Equity Project Charter School in New York City is well known for the salary it pays its teachers — $125,000 of public funds available to all public charter schools. The question of course is what that sort of salary for teachers can accomplish. In a new study, Mathematica describes The Equity Project (TEP) charter Read more about The Equity Project: Does Paying Teachers $125,000 Make a Difference?[…]