In “Mind the Gap: The Case for Re-Imagining the Way States Judge High School Quality”, Chad Aldeman argues that new, more multidimensional ways of judging high school quality are essential. Current state and federal policies on high schools tend to reward schools that perform well on measures like test scores Read more
A recent response to the Nation’s Report Card results by the Obama Administration calls for a reduction of redundant tests, in order to improve the nation’s scores in reading and mathematics. Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, believes that this action is “an unfortunate and tragically oversimplified response Read more
Public Impact’s newest, five-step, free toolkit, “Evaluation, Accountability, and Professional Development in an Opportunity Culture: A Practical Guide”, gives schools, districts, and states what they need to create an evaluation system that helps teachers improve and advance their careers while helping more students. An accompanying State Policy Brief helps policymakers Read more
Well-known Stanford education reformer Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond has recently launched a new think tank to help reform American education, with a focus on deeper learning to equip students for the 21st century economy. The Learning Policy Institute has the backing of many large donors and has other notable education leaders Read more
As we continue to go forward with no ESEA re-authorization to replace No Child Left Behind and as states continue to make the news for their gripes with Common Core, Bellwether Education has a new plan to bring more bi-partisan support to education reform. They call it “Pacts Americana.” This Read more
It is hard to tell if states are doing anything about poor teacher education programs, since many are not evaluating them like they are required to do. Even the federal government’s watchdog arm seems a bit stumped by the absence of performance information on teaching programs. At least seven states Read more
This blog has written previously about the much-touted edTPA teacher licensing exam, which promises to serve as a “bar exam” for teachers. The goal of this performance assessment is to set the bar higher for teacher certification and to be able to provide accountability across state lines and among teacher Read more
A new report by the education reform organization Achieve finds large “honesty gaps” between state-reported proficiency rates in math and reading compared to those on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is also known as the Nation’s Report Card. The report, Proficient vs. Prepared: Disparities Between State Tests Read more
The Noyce Foundation supports major research and development efforts by quality national organizations to create new models for the recruitment, compensation, development, evaluation, and accountability of school principals and teachers as well as district and other leaders. The collection of R&D efforts includes resources from Education Resource Strategies, New Leaders, Read more
On Thursday, April 2, 2015 from 3 to 4 pm Eastern Time, Education Week will be offering a free webinar titled Auditing Teacher-Preparation Program Quality: Challenges and Opportunities. Are states doing enough to ensure that all teacher-candidates graduate from their teacher-preparation programs ready to enter the classroom? In this webinar, Read more
Studies have shown that new teacher evaluation systems are being implemented at record rates, but questions remain about how best to implement those systems. In collaboration with the Northeast Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance and the New Hampshire Department of Education, REL Northeast and Islands examined the implementation of new district 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
A new report from the OECD offers a detailed look at 450 education reforms adopted across OECD countries between 2008 and 2014. The (OECD) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s mission is to “promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.” Of those Read more
As employers and postsecondary institutions increasingly demand students and workers equipped with high-level skills, many states are exploring performance assessments as part of their K-12 education strategies. Unlike multiple-choice tests, these assessments require students to construct answers, produce products, or perform activities; they allow educators to assess student 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
What students want: great teachers every year What teachers want: career advancement while teaching, collaboration, on-the-job development and leadership, sustainably funded pay increases, and the chance to help more students succeed What both need: Policies to make a statewide Opportunity Culture possible Public Impact shows states the essential policies to reach Read more