Knowing how the brain receives new information, creates memories, and accesses stored knowledge can help educators plan memorable lessons for their students. In a new report, Student Learning that Works: How Brain Science Informs a Student Learning Model, McREL CEO and author Bryan Goodwin reviews the science of memory and Read more
Learning Forward has released a new report, High-Quality Curricula and Team Based Professional Learning: A Perfect Partnership for Equity. This report is based on three premises: Research has found that effective teaching and high-quality materials both matter for student learning. Effective use of curriculum requires teachers who understand it deeply Read more
Recently in The 74, Erin Figula wrote an opinion piece detailing three ways district leaders and administrators can authentically support teachers. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Increase Access to Meaningful Professional Learning While 84 percent of teachers say they wish they had access to more professional development opportunities, they’re Read more
One-on-one teacher coaching generates meaningful improvements to both classroom instruction and student achievement, according to a newly published meta-analysis of existing research. But there’s a tricky caveat: Efforts to expand coaching programs on a wider scale might only dilute their value, the authors find. Key takeaways from this study include Read more
The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development has released a report from leading educators describing the practices and principles that can make a new vision of learning part of the fabric of schools and classrooms across the nation. The Practice Base for How We Learn outlines Read more
In Igniting the Learning Engine: How school systems accelerate teacher effectiveness and student growth through Connected Professional Learning (which we blogged about here: https://www.coreeducationllc.com/blog2/igniting-learning-engine/), authors profiled four school systems that, with an intensive focus on improving the quality of instruction through professional learning, have seen above-average results with a relatively Read more
The Aspen Institute Education & Society Program released a framework that outlines the elements of a coherent, district-wide professional learning system. Developing a Professional Learning System for Adults in Service of Student Learning is the culmination of collaborations with urban district leaders, teachers, and partners over the last several years, Read more
In partnership with NoVo Foundation, Education First is pleased to launch a new website and video series on teacher practices to support social and emotional learning (SEL). This is an exciting moment for SEL. Yet as the field learns more about how students learn the social and emotional skills necessary Read more
In survey after survey, teachers report dissatisfaction with the professional development they receive. Many aren’t satisfied with their professional learning communities or coaching opportunities. Teachers say they want more on-the-job development, career advancement while teaching, and collaboration time. Some teachers are getting what they want. But is that good news Read more
The Data Quality Campaign has released Education Data 101, a primer on the most important concepts and research related to education data. The purpose of this publication is to bring policymakers up to speed, but it also provides a nice summary of talking points for anyone involved in education. The Read more
Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have already begun to revolutionize countless fields. Education is no exception. Tom Vander Ark recently authored a report, “Ask About AI: The Future of Work and Learning“ and released it via Getting Smart, the digital consulting firm he started. The following mark five important Read more
A new brief from Education First outlines what teacher educators do and how they can be supported in their practice. To give all students great educational opportunities, we need outstanding teachers in our classrooms. But we can’t forget that, when participating in teacher preparation programs and professional development, teachers are Read more
Recently in a Top Performers opinion piece in Education Week, Marc Tucker explored the reasons why differences in teacher performance within schools are so prevalent in America and more rare in other countries. Excerpts from the piece appear below: According to an OECD analysis of variation of student performance in Read more
As state education agencies acknowledge, promote, and support the importance of professional development, they continue to search for effective professional learning opportunities for teachers. Micro-credentials—among the newer professional development methods—allow teachers to learn and demonstrate competency in bite-sized elements of instruction. Each micro-credential addresses a discrete set of educational practices. Read more
A study released from the Learning Policy Institute demonstrates how well-designed teacher professional development programs significantly improve student achievement, challenging the logic behind the Administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for those programs. The new report, “Effective Teacher Professional Development,” reviewed 35 scientifically rigorous studies conducted over the past 30 years Read more
In the Carnegie Commons blog, authors Jennifer Russell and Maggie Hannan explore how Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) can build educators’ capacity to use improvement science to learn from practice. Improvement science offers methods to guide disciplined inquiries that generate knowledge to improve practice. Improvement research—the inquiry processes that lie at Read more