Schools and out-of-school time (OST) programs across the United States are increasingly prioritizing and implementing practices to support children’s social and emotional development. A new report from the RAND Corporation provides early implementation lessons from six communities about how to enact social and emotional learning (SEL) in elementary schools and Read more
Writing for the Center on Reinventing Public Education, Bree Dusseault, Georgia Heyward, and Travis Pillow provide an analysis of the professional learning opportunities that districts can utilize to support remote learning. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Districts have an urgent need to find new ways to help teachers learn Read more
In the United States, current approaches to helping teachers engage in ongoing skill development, and equitably reward teachers with particular skill sets aligned with advanced career opportunities, are often woefully ineffective, and sometimes even non-existent. “Micro-credentials” are a recent addition to the mix of potential solutions to these issues. Like Read more
The idea of student-centered learning is not new; teachers have long sought to design personalized, competency-based environments that are tailored to individuals and that empower students to drive their own learning. What is new is the emergence of an online learning ecosystem and, with it, the technical possibility of equipping Read more
As U.S. schools closed their doors this past spring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a little-considered effect was the impact of school closures on the preparation of the next generation of educators. Teacher and leader candidates all over the country had their field experiences abruptly cut short, and educator Read more
Writing for Future Ed, Karen Hawley Miles envisions a future for public schooling that makes the most of current flexibilities. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Let’s not repeat the mistakes the education sector made in responding to the last major disruption of the education system. In the wake of Read more
With over a decade of experience working to support educator and leader learning through blended learning, 2Revolutions has assembled helpful resources to support the transition to virtual/blended learning. These resources are intended for district leaders and teachers navigating this unprecedented time. LearnNext: 2Rev co-developed LearnNext with a range of phenomenal Read more
If schools want to significantly improve student outcomes, they need to help millions of hardworking teachers continuously improve their instructional practice. Yet in many districts, the professional development fails to produce positive changes in the classroom, despite substantial investments of money and time. To develop their instructional practices, teachers require Read more
Writing for Brookings, authors Molly Curtiss and Jenny Perlman Robinson explore the promises and challenges associated with scaling up effective teacher professional development. Excerpts of their piece appear below: The outsized impact of teachers on student learning makes it clear that successfully improving learning outcomes at scale will require reckoning Read more
Research on instructional coaching shows that when defined, understood, and implemented as a principal-coach-teacher partnership, teacher coaching programs can be more effective. Engaged principals are key to a successful coaching program. Digital Promise has recently conducted research on the Dynamic Learning Project (DLP) coaching program that shows that when principals Read more
In recent years, cognitive psychologists and other researchers have learned a great deal about effective learning and teaching practices. In some cases, findings have gone against conventional wisdom or common practice, and teachers may have difficulty integrating them into their instruction. In November’s issue brief, Core Education offers resources that Read more
In Where Teachers Thrive, Susan Moore Johnson outlines a powerful argument about the importance of the school as an organization in nurturing high-quality teaching. Based on case studies conducted in fourteen high-poverty, urban schools, the book examines why some schools failed to make progress, while others achieved remarkable results. It Read more
Digital Promise has released a new report exploring micro-credentials for educators. Over the last several years, micro-credentials—a way for teachers and administrators to demonstrate their teaching and leadership skills—have generated growing interest among policymakers and practitioners alike for at least three reasons: The internet provides increasing accessibility and rapid development Read more
Researchers from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C. have released a new report, “The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth.” Adolescents—young people ages 10 to 25—make up nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population. Drawing upon recent scientific advances, the report finds ample evidence Read more
The Path to Instructional Excellence and Equitable Outcomes explores District of Columbia Public Schools’ innovative approach to supporting teaching instruction, called Learning Together to Advance our Practice, or LEAP. LEAP is based on research that has found the most effective professional learning is school-based and content-specific, grounded in the instructional Read more
The Learning Policy Institute and Bank Street Graduate School of Education have announced the launch of Educator Preparation Laboratory (EdPrepLab), an initiative to help educator preparation programs ensure that new teachers and leaders are able to provide K-12 students with education that helps them develop skills like critical thinking, collaboration, Read more