How have principals experienced changes in schooling over the last two years? To answer this question, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) launched Leaders We Need Now, a series of research reports on how the unprecedented crises and turmoil in 2020–21 have affected the work of principals and the impact these changes will Read more about The Leaders we Need Now: Evolution of the Principalship[…]
Theatre education can help young people develop a strong sense of self and identity, build empathy and learning among peers, and broaden the ways they make meaning of the world around them. Yet the last comprehensive arts education study, examining the state of art education during the 2008-09 school year, found that only 4% of Read more about Theater Counts: How Theater Education Transforms Students’ Lives[…]
Recently, Amber Northern reviewed the top six education studies of 2021 from the Education Gadfly Show. Excerpts of three of the studies appear below: The Evolution of Gender Gaps in Numeracy and Literacy between Childhood and Young Adulthood, by Francesca Borgonovi, Alvaro Choi, and Marco Paccagnella. Research indicates that gaps in numeracy and literacy skew Read more about Top Education Studies of 2021[…]
Design Principles for Schools: Putting the Science of Learning and Development Into Action is a new playbook created by the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and Turnaround for Children in partnership with the Forum for Youth Investment and in association with the Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) Alliance and more than 100 leaders from across Read more about Design Principles for Schools[…]
Fewer elementary and middle school students started the 2021 school year on grade level for reading and mathematics, according to a new report released by Curriculum Associates. The report, Understanding Student Learning: Insights from Fall 2021, analyzes data gathered from the edtech company’s i-Ready Assessment tool on reading and mathematics learning from three million Grades Read more about Widescale Study Finds More Students Started the School Year Behind[…]
A few months ago, Michael Petrilli wrote a piece exploring the common ground that most everyone can agree on related to education’s culture wars about critical race theory, anti-racist education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom. As it looks like these school board feuds are ramping up rather than dying down, I wanted Read more about Finding Common Ground in the Education Wars[…]
For almost two decades, Project Tomorrow has hosted a Congressional Briefing bringing the voices of K12 students, parents, educators, and administrators to Capitol Hill and sharing the findings of their research. The goal is to provide information critical to the development of sound education policy. This year the tradition continued with a virtual briefing enabling Read more about SpeakUp 2021 Virtual Congressional Briefing[…]
The transition to middle school is an important time in students’ academic journey, and poor performance in middle school is a strong signal of future negative academic outcomes. This is true particularly for Black and Latinx students. To better understand how academic mindsets and behaviors are associated with and may even drive academic outcomes during Read more about Academic Mindsets and Behaviors, Prior Achievement, and the Transition to Middle School[…]
A four-day school week (4dsw) is becoming more common, especially in areas across the western United States. States with large rural areas are spearheading this change. For example, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota have more than 500 districts using a 4dsw. Champions of the shorter week contend that it saves Read more about Can Four Equal Five? Assessing the Four-Day School Week[…]
Innovation zones represent an important policy lever states can use as K-12 reimagines its future post-COVID. Innovation zones are created through state legislation to give schools and districts freedom from burdensome administrative regulations. This flexibility gives schools and districts a chance to modernize teaching and learning. An updated policy brief from the Aurora Institute examines Read more about Innovation Zones: Policy Flexibility to Reimagine and Modernize K-12 Education Post-COVID-19[…]
The COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on students from historically marginalized communities underscore the value of continuous improvement (CI) as a framework for understanding the depth of unfinished learning and responding to it in an urgent, data-driven, and adaptive manner. Working alongside school-based teams, Bellwether has developed a refined and balanced approach to the Read more about Continuous Improvement in Schools Workbook[…]
For many years, school administrators have served as instructional leaders and have set the tone for the culture of a school. The COVID-19 pandemic further expanded the role of the school administrator – with major emphasis on student health and wellness, school safety, and equitable practice. Indeed, the school leader’s influence is pivotal, and every Read more about October Issue Brief: School Leader Effectiveness[…]
A new research-and-development partnership, led by AIR, focuses on an innovative program for K-12 teacher professional development. With support from a federal Education Innovation and Research grant, AIR is helping two organizations at the forefront of K-12 teacher professional development—The Danielson Group and Learning Forward—to develop, refine, and test the Professional Learning With Impact program. Read more about Using Evidence to Support Innovation in Teacher Professional Development[…]
A new policy guide, created in partnership with the College in High School Alliance, Everyone Graduates Center, Linked Learning Alliance, and National College Attainment Network, encourages state and district leaders to use federal coronavirus relief funds to improve college access and success, especially for students who are historically underserved and under-represented in higher education. During Read more about Using Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds to Support Student Transitions from High School to Higher Education[…]
A new report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) focuses on the fundamental importance of the fine arts and provides policy recommendations for reclaiming the arts and culture in education. Key points of this report include the following: Despite overwhelming support for arts education, an increasing share of children is growing up without any exposure Read more about Reclaiming Arts & Culture in Education: The Fundamental Importance of the Fine Arts[…]
Writing for The 74, Kevin Mahnken recently released a piece updating readers on The Gifted Gap, or the gap between talented Black and low-income students and their whiter, more affluent peers. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Efforts to improve the quality of American education often focus, implicitly or explicitly, on students who are achieving Read more about The Gifted Gap[…]