Between 2002 and 2013, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funded over 245 projects focused on social-behavioral competencies or outcomes (e.g., social skills, dropout prevention) through the National Center for Education Research (NCER) and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). Together, the researchers funded by these groups developed or tested more than 170 Read more about Compendium of Social-Behavioral Research[…]
Research consistently shows that family engagement in learning positively affects a range of student outcomes, including grades, behavior, enrollment in higher level programs, graduation, and college attendance. Parents and teachers want children to succeed, so why is parent engagement such a challenge? In this month’s issue brief, we explore resources and recommendations related to parent Read more about August Issue Brief: Parent Engagement[…]
Family engagement positively affects a range of student outcomes, including grades, behavior, enrollment in higher level programs, graduation, and college attendance. REL Mid-Atlantic is offering a free webinar titled Engaging Families in Partnership Programs to Promote Student Success. During this webinar led by Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Read more about Free Webinar on Engaging Families in Partnership Programs to Promote Student Success[…]
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, globally competent and proficient in Read more about Resource From P21 Empowers Parents to Help Kids Thrive in the 21st Century[…]
Education non-profit GreatSchools is out with videos in English and Spanish that detail Common Core expectations for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The short videos are meant to help educators and parents better understand what children should know how to do and when. For example, the math videos for first grade ask, “How easily Read more about GreatSchools releases Common Core aligned videos[…]
This past July, the U.S. Department of Education released the Transparency Best Practices for Schools and Districts, a new set of guidelines created to improve relations between school districts and parents surrounding school districts’ collection, maintenance, and distribution of student data. The new guidelines seek to keep parents more informed and if properly implemented, such Read more about U.S. Department of Education Issues New Guidelines On Collecting Student Data[…]
The fourth quarter of the school year is generally a time of preparation for schools and districts as they finalize next year’s budget, student and teacher schedules, and professional development for the upcoming school year. During this time of preparation, it is important that schools and districts discuss ways that they can support parents and Read more about ED Releases New Parent and Community Engagement Framework[…]
The Common Core State Standards have been accepted by 46 states and the District of Columbia and are scheduled for full implementation in the 2014-15 school year. They are already being piloted in multiple locations, which this blog has written about previously. Teachers have also recently spoken up in several surveys and have described their Read more about Resources to Support Common Core Implementation[…]
The Center for Education Reform has just issued its annual Charter School Law Report Card, and most states do not make the grade. The majority of states, according to the report, are only making “satisfactory” progress, and only 13 states have “strong” charter school laws. Among the nation’s 43 states with charter school laws, only Read more about Charters still face Upward Climb[…]
Education Week Spotlights contain essential news and commentary on the big issues. These Spotlights provide the information you need to understand the most talked-about topics. Each spotlight contains seven articles. Download the Latest Spotlights for Free! Deeper Learning: Applying brain studies to teaching students with disabilities Dual-language classes offering instruction in English and a second Read more about New Spotlights from Education Week[…]
In a recent article, Time blogger Andrew Rotherham argues that not only should parents take care when picking their child’s school, but they should be able to go so far as to pick their child’s teacher as well. He argues that even in good schools, teacher effectiveness is so variable that there is still no Read more about Parents Should Be Allowed to Pick Teachers[…]
A new paper from the Center for American Progress takes a look at the increasingly talked about “wraparound services” for children in low-income communities, and the connections to teacher efficiency. Wraparound services generally refer to non-classroom services such as health care, family involvement programs, and food assistance. There is research on the potential benefits Read more about Lightening the Load: How Community Schools Can Support Effective Teaching[…]
District-led, dramatic change efforts in failing schools-including turnarounds and school closures-often face strong resistance from families and communities. Resistance may be based on district-community tensions, failed past school improvement efforts, or a lack of understanding about what is possible in schools. In this new presentation by Public Impact, nine strategies are proposed to address these Read more about Building Family and Community Demand for Dramatic School Change[…]