Increasingly, researchers and educators recognize that schools cannot focus solely on students’ academic learning to improve achievement. They also must nurture students’ psychological development, often described as social emotional learning (SEL). While this new focus on SEL benefits all students, it is especially critical for low-income students and students of Read more
Lifelong learning skills provide the foundation for learning and working. They broadly support student thinking, self-management, and social interaction, enabling the pursuit of education and career goals. Collectively, lifelong learning skills enable students to master academic content and translate knowledge into action. There is a growing consensus among researchers that Read more
As a result of changes in the global economy, educators, education researchers, and national and state policymakers have emphasized that students must graduate from high school “ready for college and career.” But opinions differ about what college and (especially) career readiness actually means and how best to assess it. ACT Read more
P21, the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, released an online free resource for parents to help prepare kids for the future of citizenship, learning and the workforce. The National PTA served as a family engagement advisor for the project. To be successful today, students must be civically and digitally literate, Read more
Just 3% of all college graduates in a recent Gallup-Purdue University study say they had all six of the experiences — “The Big 6” — that have been shown to prepare students well for life and increase chances of on-time graduation. Together, and individually, the Gallup-Purdue Index finds these six Read more
Competency-based education (CBE) programs are growing in popularity as an alternative path to a postsecondary degree. Freed from the seat-time constraints of traditional higher education programs, CBE students can progress at their own pace and complete their postsecondary education having gained relevant and demonstrable skills. The CBE model has proven Read more
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) unveiled a video series that features business and education leaders discussing why college- and career-ready standards benefit students and employers. The series consists of three videos and is part of the nonpartisan, business-led public policy organization’s work to support the Read more
Much has been made in recent years about the importance of “grit” for student success and achievement. Grit has been a term that broadly includes such concepts as persistence, perseverance, and ability to overcome challenges. A new Policy Snapshot from GTL sheds light on how students can come by this Read more
Kevin Carey, director of the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, has a new book out this month called The End of College. This book was recently featured in the Washington Post. Carey casts a sweeping, if perhaps idealistic, vision of higher education in the future. First and foremost, Read more
Andy Rotherham of Bellwether Education has a new article out in the US News & World Report that calls out a little-considered issue in education: the people who are making the decisions about education reform are by and large those people who did well in and enjoyed school. This means Read more
Digital Promise has released “Developing a System of Micro-credentials: Supporting Deeper Learning in the Classroom,” a publication that explores the Deeper Learning Framework and identifies the specific skills students must master to achieve at high levels. Additionally, it showcases the set of 40 educator micro-credentials Digital Promise designed to ensure Read more
Achieve’s ninth annual “Closing the Expectations Gap” report, released recently, shows the progress that states have made in advancing college and career readiness while also revealing that much work remains to be done to ensure that all students are academically prepared to succeed in college and careers after high school. Read more
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has released the results of its two-year study of the influential, longstanding Carnegie Unit and its impact on education reform in K-12 and higher education. The Carnegie Unit: A Century-Old Standard in a Changing Education Landscape, authored by Carnegie’s Elena Silva, Thomas Read more
Competency-based education (CBE), in which credit is provided on the basis of student learning rather than credit or clock hours, is starting to gain traction with educators and policymakers. CBE programs are often touted as a far more affordable route to college credit and a degree, but these claims often Read more
The folks over at Shanker Blog have been writing recently about how education reform cannot happen in a vacuum. Schools and the people in them are inherently social, so approaching education reform through a social lens makes sense. Here is a piece from one of their recent blogs: For the Read more
In a new report, Skills for Success: Supporting and Assessing Key Habits, Mindsets, and Skills in PreK-12, Melissa Tooley and Laura Bornfreund highlight trends and raise important considerations for schools supporting and assessing a more comprehensive set of student “skills for success” and explore how assessments of these skills could Read more