It has been no secret in education policy over the last decade or so that more STEM and Special Education teachers are needed. Nor has it been a secret that budget crunches and political wrangling have led to highly-publicized teacher evaluations systems and even teacher layoffs. But the new numbers Read more
Two classic questions in education have been, “what do schools produce?” and “who are the workers in schools?” Education policy veteran John Merrow has some interesting answers to those questions: The familiar answers to those old questions are: 1) “Teachers are the workers,” and 2) “Their job is to turn Read more
American Institutes for Research (AIR) has released a comprehensive study evaluating Deeper Learning opportunities and outcomes in high school. The combination of (1) a deeper understanding of core academic content, (2) the ability to apply that understanding to novel problems and situations, and (3) the development of a range of Read more
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, part of the American Institutes for Research, periodically produces professional learning modules to support the education profession. Following are some gems released in October: Understanding Teaching Conditions (Professional Learning Module). Improving teaching conditions is essential for states and districts to address equitable access Read more
What students want: great teachers every year What teachers want: career advancement while teaching, collaboration, on-the-job development and leadership, sustainably funded pay increases, and the chance to help more students succeed What both need: Policies to make a statewide Opportunity Culture possible Public Impact shows states the essential policies to reach Read more
Members of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of the Great City Schools said recently they will work to decrease the number of tests students take in elementary and secondary schools. The groups will form a task force to identify and eliminate unnecessary assessments. In a Read more
The Aspen Institute and Leading Educators are out with a roadmap outlining paths teachers can take to assume more leadership roles in classrooms and schools. The Aspen Institute released Leading from the Front of the Classroom: A Roadmap for Teacher Leadership that Works, which provides practical guidance for designing effective Read more
More than 100 education advocacy groups are imploring Congress and the administration to make sure all students have access to effective teachers. The groups, operating under the Coalition for Teaching Quality, will hold House and Senate briefings on Capitol Hill. The coalition is releasing its own “roadmap” to get the Read more
Nearly everyone agrees that all students deserve a quality education, and that teachers deserve reasonable job protections. But Vergara v. California threw a spotlight on a hard truth: The balance has swung too far toward job protections for adults, at the expense of the rights of children. Tenure doesn’t have Read more
The Center for American Progress and the Council of Chief State School Officers are out with a new report looking at next-generation accountability concepts that states have implemented in lieu of zero congressional action on No Child Left Behind. Generally, the accountability reforms fall into 5 categories across the states: Read more
For years now, standardized testing and teacher observation have been seen as the two key pillars to gauge student learning and teacher proficiency. A new survey company, Panorama Education, hopes that its improved and much cheaper survey techniques can ensure that a third pillar is added: student voice. A New Read more
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is making significant strides in guiding and supporting the implementation of Student Learning Objectives as part of a teacher and principal evaluation (TPE) system statewide. A new report from CTAC and WestEd prepared through the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center (MACC at WestEd), examines frontline educators’ Read more
According to a new Alliance for Excellent Education report, supporting great teaching is key to a positive school climate and academic success for at-risk students. With schools implementing higher academic standards that require engaging and effective teaching, a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education in partnership with the Read more
Recently, the Lumina Foundation released its “Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP).” The DQP is a learning-centered framework for what college graduates should know and be able to do to earn the associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree. The DQP seeks to define quality learning and better signify the value that postsecondary credentials Read more
All students-regardless of race, color, national origin or zip code-deserve a high-quality education that includes resources such as academic and extracurricular programs, strong teaching, technology and instructional materials, and safe school facilities. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced guidance, in the form of a Dear Colleague letter to states, Read more
The U.S. Education Department has recently rolled out another phase in its quest to ensure that lower income students have similarly excellent teachers as their higher income peers. What is the research behind the push for equitable distribution of teacher effectiveness? What are the issues and complexities of this work? Read more