Academic Mindsets and Behaviors, Prior Achievement, and the Transition to Middle School

Posted on November 17, 2021November 14, 2021 by coreeducation

The transition to middle school is an important time in students’ academic journey, and poor performance in middle school is a strong signal of future negative academic outcomes. This is true particularly for Black and Latinx students. To better understand how academic mindsets and behaviors are associated with and may even drive academic outcomes during Read more about Academic Mindsets and Behaviors, Prior Achievement, and the Transition to Middle School[…]

The Mastery Transcript

Posted on November 16, 2021November 14, 2021 by coreeducation

In recent years, educators at some of the nation’s top high schools have been working to replace the traditional high school transcript and its simple summary of courses and grades with a far richer picture of students’ secondary school experiences. A feature story in The Washington Post Magazine explores the growing movement to introduce a Read more about The Mastery Transcript[…]

Effective Advising for Postsecondary Students

Posted on November 10, 2021November 7, 2021 by coreeducation

At its most effective, advising is a collaborative process between a student and an advisor designed to help the student realize their educational potential. Most postsecondary institutions have historically used advisors to help students select and register for courses, but postsecondary institutions are increasingly asking advisors to play an instrumental role in helping students progress Read more about Effective Advising for Postsecondary Students[…]

Can Four Equal Five? Assessing the Four-Day School Week

Posted on November 3, 2021October 29, 2021 by coreeducation

A four-day school week (4dsw) is becoming more common, especially in areas across the western United States. States with large rural areas are spearheading this change. For example, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have more than 500 districts using a 4dsw. Champions of the shorter week contend that it saves Read more about Can Four Equal Five? Assessing the Four-Day School Week[…]

Time to Lead: An Illustrative Look at how Elementary School Principals Spend their Workweek

Posted on November 2, 2021October 29, 2021 by coreeducation

Principals can improve their teachers’ classroom practice, either directly or indirectly by arranging resources, to support improvement. However, there is limited information about how principals spend their time. A snapshot from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) provides insights on workday time allocations for principals in 100 schools. Key findings in the snapshot include the Read more about Time to Lead: An Illustrative Look at how Elementary School Principals Spend their Workweek[…]

Innovation Zones: Policy Flexibility to Reimagine and Modernize K-12 Education Post-COVID-19

Posted on October 28, 2021October 25, 2021 by coreeducation

Innovation zones represent an important policy lever states can use as K-12 reimagines its future post-COVID. Innovation zones are created through state legislation to give schools and districts freedom from burdensome administrative regulations. This flexibility gives schools and districts a chance to modernize teaching and learning. An updated policy brief from the Aurora Institute examines Read more about Innovation Zones: Policy Flexibility to Reimagine and Modernize K-12 Education Post-COVID-19[…]

Continuous Improvement in Schools Workbook

Posted on October 27, 2021October 25, 2021 by coreeducation

The COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on students from historically marginalized communities underscore the value of continuous improvement (CI) as a framework for understanding the depth of unfinished learning and responding to it in an urgent, data-driven, and adaptive manner. Working alongside school-based teams, Bellwether has developed a refined and balanced approach to the Read more about Continuous Improvement in Schools Workbook[…]

Using Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds to Support Student Transitions from High School to Higher Education

Posted on October 20, 2021October 18, 2021 by coreeducation

A new policy guide, created in partnership with the College in High School Alliance, Everyone Graduates Center, Linked Learning Alliance, and National College Attainment Network, encourages state and district leaders to use federal coronavirus relief funds to improve college access and success, especially for students who are historically underserved and under-represented in higher education. During Read more about Using Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds to Support Student Transitions from High School to Higher Education[…]

Reclaiming Arts & Culture in Education: The Fundamental Importance of the Fine Arts

Posted on October 19, 2021October 19, 2021 by coreeducation

A new report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) focuses on the fundamental importance of the fine arts and provides policy recommendations for reclaiming the arts and culture in education. Key points of this report include the following: Despite overwhelming support for arts education, an increasing share of children is growing up without any exposure Read more about Reclaiming Arts & Culture in Education: The Fundamental Importance of the Fine Arts[…]

The Gifted Gap

Posted on October 13, 2021October 12, 2021 by coreeducation

Writing for The 74, Kevin Mahnken recently released a piece updating readers on The Gifted Gap, or the gap between talented Black and low-income students and their whiter, more affluent peers. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Efforts to improve the quality of American education often focus, implicitly or explicitly, on students who are achieving Read more about The Gifted Gap[…]

Embracing Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Instructional Materials

Posted on October 6, 2021October 4, 2021 by coreeducation

Choosing instructional materials wisely is one of the most important jobs education leaders and teachers have, perhaps now more than ever. Unfinished academic instruction resulting from the COVID-19 crisis demands better ways to reignite student engagement and accelerate learning. At the same time, the disparate impact of the pandemic on students of color and growing Read more about Embracing Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Instructional Materials[…]

Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students

Posted on September 30, 2021September 26, 2021 by coreeducation

The federal Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education has released a report outlining the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on America’s students. Major observations include the following: OBSERVATION 1 (K-12): Emerging evidence shows that the pandemic has negatively affected academic growth, widening pre-existing disparities. In core subjects like math and reading, there are Read more about Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students[…]

September Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership

Posted on September 28, 2021September 26, 2021 by coreeducation

There is no doubt that teachers exert an incredible influence on students and their learning. But what if teachers hold the key to school and district-wide reform as well? In Core Education’s September Issue Brief, we explore the many ways schools and districts are offering exceptional teachers opportunities to share their knowledge and extend their Read more about September Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership[…]

The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership

Posted on September 23, 2021September 21, 2021 by coreeducation

The Wallace Foundation recently released a report focusing on the potential for Assistant Principals to help foster educational equity, school improvement, and principal effectiveness. Recent years have seen a surge in the number of assistant principals and the percentage of schools with them, but despite its growing presence, the AP role is often overlooked. With Read more about The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership[…]

ED Releases “Strategies for Using ARP Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time”

Posted on September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 by coreeducation

Students across the country continue to return to in-person learning after more than a year of varied access to the educational opportunities they need to succeed. For example, some estimates show that 3 million students have either been consistently absent from or have not been actively participating in remote learning since the beginning of the Read more about ED Releases “Strategies for Using ARP Funding to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time”[…]