Writing for FutureEd, Bryan Hassel and Greg Lippman describe a project that attempts to develop a new measure of school performance that clearly identifies which schools are doing the best job with vulnerable student populations. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Knowing a school’s numbers of English language learners, students Read more
Career-connected learning pathways – including internships, apprenticeships, and cooperative education programs – allow students to gain work experience while in high school. Through these programs, young people can develop employability and technical skills that can help them succeed beyond high school, including through building positive relationships with adults, developing social Read more
Instructional time policy is critical to education service delivery because it sets minimum, and sometimes maximum, requirements for learning time. Each state defines instructional time differently, and states have varying requirements in policy. Education Commission of the States (ECS) has released three papers that provide an easy reference for top-level Read more
Writing for the Fordham Institute, Adam Tyner reviews a new research report by Jackson and Mackevicius that explores how money matters for student outcomes. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The overall effect of an additional $1,000 of spending per child on test scores, based on 2018 prices and over Read more
Given the urgent need to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, increase economic mobility, and ensure racial justice, it is more important than ever for education leaders at all levels of the PK-12 education system to embrace evidence and data to inform their day-to-day decision-making. Results for America’s new report — Read more
Postsecondary education is vital to thrive, not just survive. Eighty percent of good-paying jobs require postsecondary education, and 56 percent require a bachelor’s degree or higher. While the nation’s high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 85 percent, students are insufficiently prepared for postsecondary education and the Read more
J-PAL North America, a research center focused on reducing poverty, recently released a meta-analysis of close to 100 studies of tutoring in literacy and mathematics and found that tutoring programs consistently produced large improvements in learning outcomes for students — with effects that eclipse those of most other educational programs. Read more
Writing for The 74, Kevin Mahnken recently reviewed a new roadmap for American history and civics education titled “Education for American Democracy.” Excerpts of the piece appear below: Through a collaboration funded by grants from the Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a group of civics Read more
Every day, educators, advocates, and families strive to ensure that our schools prepare all students to excel academically and thrive in life. To realize that ambitious goal, we must ensure that our education sector functions at all levels as a learning system. Too often, though, a culture of compliance and Read more
The College in High School Alliance has released the second in a new series of policy snapshots, designed to explore policy issues impacting college in high school programs such as dual enrollment and early college high school. This snapshot provides a discussion about the importance of states having quality assurance Read more
The College in High School Alliance (CHSA) has released the first in a series of policy snapshots. These resources are designed to explore specific policy issues impacting college in high school programs such as dual enrollment and early college high school. CHSA’s first snapshot concerns Improving Eligibility Requirements for Dual Read more
The Learning Agency recently published a report, Education and Income: How Learning Boosts Salary, by Ulrich Boser. Key takeaways appear below: The U.S. is in the midst of an economic downturn resulting from COVID-19, with potential long lasting effects on workers and the American labor market. Unemployment is at its Read more
Writing for Inside Higher Ed, Madeline St. Amour reviews the Massachusetts early college program, which is turning out to be one of the strongest solutions to the state’s equity gap. Excerpts from the piece appear below: An early-college program targeted at underrepresented students in Massachusetts is showing strong results — Read more
As school districts deliberate over reopening schools with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, the Aurora Institute has developed a report with strategic guidance on how to harness our current opportunity to transform K-12 education. Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era: Policy Actions and Responses to Leverage the Moment for Read more
Writing for the Fordham Institute, Chester E. Finn, Jr. presents an explanation of what is needed to fundamentally change schooling in America. Excerpts from the piece appear below: What distinguishes problems we tackle in a serious way from those we mostly just wring our hands and protest over? What distinguishes Read more
The Aspen Institute has released 10 recommendations states can use to maintain student connections and relationships through the 2020-21 school year. Healthy relationships and routines undergird the development of resilience, which is needed to engage successfully in academics and in life beyond school. These dimensions of student well-being and readiness-to-learn Read more