On May 7, 2015, the National Center for Education (NCES) released Digest of Education Statistics, 2013. The Digest’s purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number Read more
School districts that serve the highest percentages of low-income students and students of color receive significantly less in local and state funding than districts that serve predominantly white and affluent students, according to a new report from the Education Trust (Ed Trust) and a separate analysis by the U.S. Department 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
NCES has recently released “Public School Teacher Attrition and Mobility in the First Five Years: Results From the First Through Fifth Waves of the 2007–08 Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study“. The first results of this nationally representative study that looked at the fates of about 2,000 teachers who were new to 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
The implementation of new educator evaluation systems has become an important issue for states and districts. A new guide developed by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central provides a three-step process for state departments of education to monitor district implementation of state- or district-developed educator evaluation systems. This process includes the Read more
The Leadership Conference Education Fund, Hager Sharp Inc., and ORC International have collaborated to conduct a national survey among U.S. adults about their awareness, knowledge and attitudes regarding standards in public K-12 education. The survey broadly explores their expectations of public education and also includes questions pertaining specifically to the Read more
Michael Lewis’ book, Moneyball, which later became a motion picture starring Brad Pitt, details the transformation of baseball’s Oakland A’s through data analytics. The true story makes a compelling case that making decisions based on data is both cost effective and powerful. In this month’s issue brief, we explore the Read more
A recent Fordham Institute study is out with a new analysis of NAEP data showing that the percentage of college-ready high school seniors has been flat for 20 years. This is particularly disheartening given the importance placed on college readiness today. Even with flat results, there is an increasing “college Read more
There is no systemic evidence that all the best teachers are leaving. In fact the opposite appears to be true. More research and more years of data, are needed, but early results seem promising that evaluation is playing a positive role in keeping the best educators. Numbers have already been Read more
The Rural Opportunities Consortium of Idaho, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, and Bellwether Education Partners have teamed up to write a new report, “Federal Education Policy In Rural America”. The authors of the report believe that, while roughly a quarter of American students are educated in rural areas, federal 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
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
Recently, Education Week released the 19th edition of its annual Quality Counts report. This year’s installment explores the complex landscape that defines early-childhood services and programs across the country. To complement the report’s journalism, the Education Week Research Center also conducted an original analysis of participation in early-education programs, poverty-based Read more
Four new reports from the Regional Education Laboratories (RELs) West, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic examine new multiple-measure teacher and leader evaluations across the nation. These reports are helping to build the literature base on the connections between educator effectiveness and evaluation. Principal and teacher perceptions of implementation of multiple measure teacher Read more
The Time for Equity Indicators Framework is a web-based tool today that provides school and district leaders, reform support partners, researchers, and community organizations with a wealth of information about how to effectively measure the process and impact of expanding and reimagining learning time. It has been Read more