Teachers know that motivation matters. It is central to student learning; it helps determine how engaged students are in their work, how hard they work, and how well they persevere in the face of challenges. Though we hear mostly about the “achievement gap” between demographic groups, researchers have also identified Read more
A study conducted by the National Center on Education Statistics finds that new teachers who have mentor support, participate in an induction program, and have a higher starting base pay are more likely to remain in the field. NCES undertook the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study (BTLS), which is Read more
Does money matter in education? Isabel V. Sawhill of the Brookings Institution answers: Yes, education spending–and teacher salaries–affect student outcomes. Not only that, but the research shows that money matters even more for minority and underprivileged students, making the money issue an equity issue as well. Sawhill reviewed education policy Read more
The UN gave only a third of the world’s countries a passing grade recently for efforts to provide universal basic education, but said most governments had failed on a pledge made 15 years ago, the Agence France-Presse reports. In 2000, 164 countries agreed at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Read more
A recent survey finds that more than half of high school juniors and seniors across the country don’t feel they’re ready for college and careers, even though these remain top goals for students. The survey was a multi-year College and Career Readiness survey of 165,000 high school students conducted by Read more
TNTP has spent the last two years trying to answer the question, “Do we know how to help teachers get better?” Their new report,The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Teacher Development, shares what they found. The Mirage examines how three large public school districts and one Read more
The Center for Public Education has released the second in a pair of reports focused on high school students who do not continue their formal education after graduation and factors that contribute to positive outcomes and future success. A rigorous high school program boosts the chances of success for both Read more
REL Mid-Atlantic is offering an open question line for education-related research questions. Are you interested in learning what the latest research says about an issue in your district? Need help using data to inform policy decisions or identifying evidence-based curricula or interventions? REL Mid-Atlantic can help at no cost to Read more
In what seems to be an increasing (and welcome!) trend, Harvard economist Dr. Roland G. Fryer Jr. has been attempting to translate his empirical research into results for schools. Dr. Fryer won the prestigious John Bates Clark medal this year in part for his research on 39 New York City Read more
We’ve become a perpetual multitasking culture. Our brains aren’t good at this, especially when we’re trying to learn new information. But of all the things that make it hard for us to learn, multitasking is one of the very few that is entirely within our control. Living rooms, dens, kitchens, Read more
Amid growing recognition that strong academic skills alone are not enough for young people to become successful adults, a new comprehensive report offers wide-ranging evidence to show what young people need to develop from preschool to young adulthood to succeed in college and career, have healthy relationships, be engaged citizens Read more
NCES has released two publications examining the qualifications of public school teachers: Education and Certification Qualifications of Public Middle Grades Teachers of Selected Subjects as well as Education and Certification Qualifications of Departmentalized Public High School-Level Teachers of Selected Subjects. These statistical analysis reports examine the postsecondary majors and teaching Read more
Surely everyone’s list of the top 50 books for educators would be different, but Nick Grantham of Fractus Learning has come up with some pretty good suggestions. Summer reading season is here, and this list has some that you have probably already read, some that you have been meaning to Read more
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) released a new tool to help middle and high schools meet their students’ most critical needs. The 2015 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs–Middle and High School Edition provides a framework for examining social and emotional learning (SEL) programs Read more
On Thursday, May 28, Acting Commissioner Peggy G. Carr, National Center for Education Statistics, released The Condition of Education 2015. The indicators presented in The Condition of Education 2015 provide an update on the state of education in America and include findings on the demographics of American schools, U.S. resources Read more
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