Obama Administration and ED Publish Guidelines to Reduce Over-Testing

Posted on November 2, 2015October 31, 2015 by coreeducation

The Obama administration, this past week, asked the Education Department to review its policies and determine any places where it may have contributed to overemphasis on testing and the loss of instructional time. The key actions set forth by the Administration are as follows: Financial support for states to develop and use better, less burdensome Read more about Obama Administration and ED Publish Guidelines to Reduce Over-Testing[…]

States Wrestle With How to Get Good Teachers in All Schools

Posted on October 9, 2015October 22, 2015 by coreeducation

Last year, with much fanfare, the Obama administration declared that it would tackle the tricky issue of equitable teacher distribution, calling on states to revise their plans for making sure that high-poverty schools get their fair share of qualified educators. Now most states have answered the call, rewriting plans that initially stemmed from requirements in Read more about States Wrestle With How to Get Good Teachers in All Schools[…]

Obama’s New Federal Financial Aid Rules Allow Earlier Applications

Posted on October 7, 2015October 22, 2015 by coreeducation

President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently rolled out a new plan to make the FAFSA (the federal tax form needed to apply for federal student aid for college) quicker, easier, and more accessible to more students. Following is a brief outline, from the White House website, of some of the major changes: Earlier, Read more about Obama’s New Federal Financial Aid Rules Allow Earlier Applications[…]

Arne Duncan Stepping Down as Education Secretary

Posted on October 5, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

At a crucial moment with the best possibility of an ESEA re-authorization on the near horizon and with only about one year left before the end of the Obama administration, long-serving Education Secretary Arne Duncan has stepped down. It is unclear why, but we do know that the President wanted Duncan to finish the course: Read more about Arne Duncan Stepping Down as Education Secretary[…]

Is There a Market in the United States for a Strong Instructional Core?

Posted on October 2, 2015September 25, 2015 by coreeducation

Marc Tucker of the National Center on Education and the Economy wants the U.S. to reform the way that it approaches its instructional core. By this, he means “the combination of state-mandated standards, curriculum frameworks, course syllabi, instructional materials, and tests and examinations that together define and measure what students are taught.” Tucker’s recommendations, like Read more about Is There a Market in the United States for a Strong Instructional Core?[…]

New Federal College Scorecard Focuses on Cost-Benefit

Posted on September 29, 2015September 25, 2015 by coreeducation

President Obama has announced the launch of a new College Scorecard, meant to help students and parents identify which schools provide the biggest bang for your buck. Designed with input from those who will use it most, the Scorecard offers reliable data on factors important to prospective students, such as how much graduates earn, and Read more about New Federal College Scorecard Focuses on Cost-Benefit[…]

Pacts Americana from Bellwether Education

Posted on September 8, 2015October 17, 2021 by coreeducation

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 project and report re-envisions federal Read more about Pacts Americana from Bellwether Education[…]

The state of Play with ESEA, in a Single Table

Posted on August 17, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Michael J. Petrilli of the Fordham Institute has put together a very handy table showing us where things currently stand on ESEA re-authorization. Remember, the most recent version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (first passed during the Johnson Administration) is No Child Left Behind, which was passed in 2001. Typically, there is a Read more about The state of Play with ESEA, in a Single Table[…]

GAO Finds Teacher Prep Oversight Lacking

Posted on August 11, 2015August 3, 2015 by coreeducation

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 are not complying with a Read more about GAO Finds Teacher Prep Oversight Lacking[…]

The U.S. Needs a National Policy on Education

Posted on July 29, 2015July 23, 2015 by coreeducation

Christopher Cross has written an insightful piece for Teachers College Record, focusing on the need to establish a national policy on education so that there is a clear understanding of our national priority and appropriate roles for states and the federal government. An excerpt: We have no stated national commitment to education, no understanding about Read more about The U.S. Needs a National Policy on Education[…]

If Everyone Loves ESEA Disaggregation, Why Is Cross-Tabbing Such a Problem?

Posted on July 24, 2015July 17, 2015 by coreeducation

Cross-tabbing refers to looking at education data for disadvantaged students across different categories, such as race and gender combined. Charles Barone offers us a useful example: Black males are many times more likely to be subject to corporal punishment – in school – than black females. Averages for black students across gender hide this phenomenon. Read more about If Everyone Loves ESEA Disaggregation, Why Is Cross-Tabbing Such a Problem?[…]

Dramatic Improvement in Education Systems: What It Takes

Posted on July 23, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

On Education Week‘s Top Performers blog, Marc Tucker explores what it takes to achieve dramatic improvement in education systems. Tucker writes: The nations with the best-performing education systems have two things in common that have nothing to do with the specific education policies and practices they have embraced. The first has to do with the Read more about Dramatic Improvement in Education Systems: What It Takes[…]

The Watchdogs of College Education Rarely Bite

Posted on July 8, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Most colleges can’t keep their doors open without an accreditor’s seal of approval, which is needed to get students access to federal loans and grants. But accreditors hardly ever kick out the worst-performing colleges and lack uniform standards for assessing graduation rates and loan defaults, according to The Wall Street Journal. Those problems are blamed Read more about The Watchdogs of College Education Rarely Bite[…]

OECD Report on Youth Unemployment

Posted on June 11, 2015June 6, 2015 by coreeducation

About 39 million people ages 16 to 29 across the globe were not employed and were not participating in any kind of education or training in 2013. That’s 5 million more than before the economic crisis of 2008, a new OECD report stresses, and 2014 predictions don’t look much better. In many cases, these young Read more about OECD Report on Youth Unemployment[…]

Never too Late: Why ESEA must fill the Missing Middle

Posted on June 8, 2015May 31, 2015 by coreeducation

When President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in 2002, the U.S. national high school graduation rate was 72.6 percent. Today, the national high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 81 percent and the number of low-graduation-rate high schools has declined considerably. While this progress is Read more about Never too Late: Why ESEA must fill the Missing Middle[…]

The Shaping of Federal Education Policy Over Time

Posted on June 1, 2015May 31, 2015 by coreeducation

When looking at education issues today, it is interesting to review the events and people involved in shaping federal education policy over time. There is rich history of landmark events that directly influenced today’s education policy climate, including the debate over appropriate roles for states and the federal government. The recent issue of The Progress Read more about The Shaping of Federal Education Policy Over Time[…]