New Alternative Teaching Permit Approved in Indiana

Indiana looks poised to become one of the only states to allow career professionals a direct path into teaching without prior pedagogical training. While the Indiana Attorney General and Governor still have to sign off on the bill before the end of the year, the career specialist permit has already gotten over several hurdles that Read more about New Alternative Teaching Permit Approved in Indiana[…]

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Teachers as Researchers: Another Mark of Professionalism

On his Education Week blog, Marc Tucker argues that teachers should serve as the agents of education research, not just subjects of it. There is no argument about the need for research in the United States, but Tucker worries that most of it is done by academics not involved in the daily demands of teaching. Read more about Teachers as Researchers: Another Mark of Professionalism[…]

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Ten Things to Know About PARCC

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) has released a list of 10 things you should know about the PARCC assessments as you start off this school year: PARCC is your state’s homegrown assessment. PARCC is not a testing company – it’s a group of states working together to build better Read more about Ten Things to Know About PARCC[…]

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Infographic: Climbing the Career Ladder in Baltimore

There has been much talk in recent years about new incentive-based pay scales for teachers, but often the talk lacks the details to turn the talk into reality. But Baltimore City Public Schools (MD) has created a new pay ladder, and Education Week has published an interesting infographic with the details. The official name of Read more about Infographic: Climbing the Career Ladder in Baltimore[…]

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September Issue Brief: School Culture

The job of the teacher today is more demanding than ever, and teachers need the support of colleagues and a productive school culture for continuous growth and ongoing resilience in the face of challenges. But a vibrant school culture is an elusive concept. In this month’s issue brief, we explore various commentary, resources, and ideas Read more about September Issue Brief: School Culture[…]

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2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) Data Release

The National Center for Education Statistics has added the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data to PowerStats. This update includes the following datasets from the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey: Public Schools, Private Schools, Public and Private Schools combined, Public Principals, Private Principals, Public and Private Principals combined, Public Teachers, Private Teachers, Public and Read more about 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) Data Release[…]

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Teacher Evaluations in an Era of Rapid Change

Chad Aldeman and a Bellwether Education team have collected and synthesized data from 17 states and the District of Columbia that tracked and reported information on their teacher evaluation efforts as of July 2014.  Data analysis revealed five major conclusions: Districts are starting to differentiate between poor, fair, and great educator performance, rather than treating Read more about Teacher Evaluations in an Era of Rapid Change[…]

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U.S. Department of Education: Commit to Lead

The Education Department announced a new opportunity to advance teacher leadership. But, for it to succeed, The Department needs your voice to be a part of it. Commit to Lead is a public, online community that directly engages teachers and other educators in defining what teacher leadership can and should be in their communities. The Read more about U.S. Department of Education: Commit to Lead[…]

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Engaging Educators: A Reform Support Network Guide for States and Districts

Many states are proactively engaging educators in shaping key reforms, including evaluation, feedback, and support systems. The Reform Support Network has released a study titled Engaging Educators: A Reform Support Network Guide for States and Districts that takes a close look at five states/districts to watch. These include Denver Public Schools; Hillsborough County, Florida; Illinois; Read more about Engaging Educators: A Reform Support Network Guide for States and Districts[…]

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Educator Accountability for Education Professionals – A New Idea

On his Education Week blog, Marc Tucker discusses the National Center for Education and the Economy’s latest report, which calls for replacing the current system of test-based accountability with a system much more likely to result in improvements in student performance. Following is an excerpt  describing the plan outlined in the new report: Fixing Our Read more about Educator Accountability for Education Professionals – A New Idea[…]

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To Close the Achievement Gap, We Need to Close the Teaching Gap

Linda Darling-Hammond sees the recent PISA and TALIS results as a strong indictment of the direction of American education over the last two decades. Her answer, as she explains in an article for the Huffington Post Education, is to focus on teachers. Below is an excerpt from the article: For years now, educators have looked Read more about To Close the Achievement Gap, We Need to Close the Teaching Gap[…]

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Education Next Poll Results

A new poll by Education Next finds that the Common Core State Standards may have an image problem. The poll finds that the public likes the idea of shared standards – so long as the question doesn’t mention the phrase “Common Core.” Even Republicans, who express the most antipathy to the Common Core brand, overwhelmingly Read more about Education Next Poll Results[…]

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Do Students Learn More When Their Teachers Work Together?

Research suggests that teachers’ social capital – their relationships, networks and collaboration – may be just as important as their human capital, or individual ability. Generally, education policy focuses either on in classroom factors or out of school factors. The thinking goes that in order for students to improve, they need better instruction and/or better Read more about Do Students Learn More When Their Teachers Work Together?[…]

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Teaching Teaching

One of the classic questions about education is whether teaching can be taught. Is a teacher born or made? A recently released book, Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (and How to Teach It to Everyone) by Elizabeth Green, answers with a definitive, “Yes, it can be taught!” Green’s book is another one to Read more about Teaching Teaching[…]

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ED: Excellent Educators for All

After months of pressure from civil rights groups, the Education Department has taken another bold step to deal with the challenge of teacher inequity in the United States. Following up on the 50 State Strategy for Equity that the Education Department rolled out back in the spring (https://www.coreeducationllc.com/blog2/50-state-strategy-for-equitable-distribution-of-teachers/), the Education Department last month rolled out Read more about ED: Excellent Educators for All[…]

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CEP Releases Compendium of Research on the Common Core Standards

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University has released “A Compendium of Research on the Common Core Standards,” a compilation of over 60 research studies focused on a range of issues and topics related to the Common Core Standards. CEP has been a leading voice on the need for a broader, Read more about CEP Releases Compendium of Research on the Common Core Standards[…]

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