In a recent AEI Teacher Quality 2.0 report, Timothy Knowles argues persuasively for radical changes with a practical mindset. His article is called “New pathways for teachers, new promises for students: A vision for developing excellent teachers.” Knowles, John Dewey Director of the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute, writing as part of the American Read more about New Pathways for Teachers, New Promises for Students[…]
With the release of new guidelines broken down into five categories, the US Education Department has offered increased clarity to state and local school systems wondering about specifics of government education stipulations. As this blog posted about recently, the increased clarity is particularly important in light of the combined facts of continuing budgetary difficulties on Read more about Education Department releases new guidelines on ESEA flexibility[…]
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[…]
In April of 2012, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo convened the New NY Education Reform Commission. Their task was to develop “an actionable course of reforms – based on proven models of success from within New York as well as other states and nations – that will provide the level of educational excellence that Read more about New York State Education Commission Proposes Significant Changes[…]
Since 1906, the Carnegie Unit, or credit hour/student hour, has been the standard unit by which student progress and mastery in American secondary schools and colleges have been measured. The Carnegie Unit was originally created in 1906 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a means by which professors could argue for Read more about Re-thinking the credit hour?[…]
Too often do we in the field of education policy end up discussing only the negatives: red tape, too little funding, changed programs, poor communication, lack of support, etc. In recent years, principals and teachers have often borne the brunt of the criticism, although research into successful schools consistently shows that good principals and teachers Read more about 9 Model Ohio schools: Principals and Teachers are crucial to success[…]
In the much-debated world of education policy, particularly over the last few years, teachers have taken much of the flak regarding the lack of student achievement and failing schools. Washington DC public schools (DCPS) stands as a lightning rod for these debates. As we wrote about recently (https://coreeducationllc.com/blog2/is-dcps-a-model-urban-school-district/), some see DCPS as a model for Read more about Trusting Teachers with School Success[…]
On December 11, 2012, the Education Department announced the 16 winners of the Race to the Top school district grants (RTTD). 61 Finalists had been announced recently out of an original 372 districts that turned in applications in November. A total of $400 million was due to go out, and winners ranged from $10 million Read more about 16 Race to the Top District Winners Announced[…]
This Tuesday, the Alliance for Excellent Education will host a webinar entitled “Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age.” The webinar will be moderated by Mary Ann Wolf of the Alliance for Excellent Education. The panelists, who will provide a diversity of views from different perspectives within the field,will be Barnett Read more about Webinar: Perspectives on the Future of Teacher Preparation in the Digital Age[…]
The New Teacher Project (TNTP) has recently released a new report, Keeping Irreplaceables in D.C. Public Schools: Lessons in Smart Retention, which holds up the reforms begun in DC public schools by former schools chancellor Michelle Rhee as a model for human capital reform. The main thrust of the reforms highlighted concerns good teacher retention Read more about Is DCPS a model urban school district?[…]
Jal Mehta, assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-editor of The Futures of School Reform (2012), offers a clarion call to systematic educational reform in the United States. Mehta makes three key points in his article for the American Enterprise Institute: 1. Many efforts to reform American schooling over the past Read more about From ‘Tinkering to Utopia’ to ‘Remaking American Education’[…]
Kenneth R. Howe and David E. Means of the University of Colorado at Boulder’s National Education Policy Center have recently published a brief entitled “Democracy Left Behind: How Recent Education Reforms Undermine Local School Governance and Democratic Education.” In this brief, Howe and Means describe the negative impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on Read more about Is No Child Left Behind compatible with democracy?[…]
The upcoming election day of November 6, 2012 promises to have a significant impact on education policy around the country. Under the larger discussion of fiscal policy, which has consumed much of the Presidential campaigns of both President Obama and Governor Romney, the issue of education has risen to the fore multiple times. While neither Read more about Election Day puts Education in the Spotlight[…]
The results from the 6th annual Education Next survey have recently been released. Education Next is an education policy journal which, according to their website argues that “bold change is needed in American K–12 education” although they claim to partake “of no program, campaign, or ideology” and only to go “where the evidence points”. The Read more about 6th Annual Education Next Survey Results[…]
A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse identifies practices that can improve the performance of chronically low-performing schools — a process commonly referred to as “turnaround.” The report, Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools, makes four recommendations based on current research into school turnaround efforts: Schools signal the need for dramatic Read more about What Works Clearinghouse: School Turnarounds[…]
As both the federal government and states face unprecedented challenges in raising standards and increasing outcomes for all students, state education agencies (SEAs) need to take a new approach; one focused less on compliance and more on performance management. For most SEAs this is a daunting and complicated task. A new study from the Center Read more about Leading State Education Agencies Focus on Data, Worry about Access to Talent[…]