EQuIP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products) is an initiative of the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network designed to identify high-quality materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Achieve is very excited to announce the selection of a new round of EQuIP Peer Review Panel members. Below Read more
Professional learning communities (PLCs)—teams of educators who meet regularly to exchange ideas, monitor student progress, and identify professional learning needs—reflect a growing interest in promoting professional development that engages teachers and administrators. Increasingly, teachers are able to participate in online and hybrid PLCs in addition to PLCs that meet face-to-face. Read more
Education Evolving wants to give teachers a larger role in their schools through a model that they call “Teacher Professional Partnerships.” Consider the following three propositions: 1. If teachers are to be accountable for student learning, teachers should control what matters for student learning. It’s a serious mistake to be Read more
One of the many opportunities provided by the transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the chance to develop high quality instructional materials for teachers and schools that are aligned to the rigor and college- and career-ready expectations found in the standards. At the same time, determining how Read more
The professional lives of teachers have recently been flooded with “the new.” With new standards, new curricula, new evaluations, new assessments, and all the other changes that take place on an annual basis in schools and districts, very little remains constant from year to year. In this sea of changes, Read more
A new report by Kaitlin Pennington of the Center for American Progress highlights the increase of teacher-voice groups. These groups allow teachers to continue teaching while also having a chance to impact education policy more directly. Furthermore, they provide current teachers with more active leadership positions. In addition, these groups Read more
While models such as Teach for America have taken some flack in recent years for their lack of adequate preparation and lack of a long term model, no one disagrees with the goal of the program: to help struggling students in struggling schools, usually urban ones, find greater academic success. Read more
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders combines the efforts of three education organizations: American Institutes for Research (AIR), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and Public Impact. They are dedicated to supporting state education leaders in their efforts to grow, respect, and retain great teachers and leaders for all Read more
Back in mid-March, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, hosted the third International Summit on the Teaching Profession. This particular summit focused on teacher quality, including professional standards and teacher appraisal. The past two took place in New York City at the invitation of Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Marc Tucker of the National Read more
In “Flexibility for Fairness: Crafting Business Rules for Student Learning Objectives” AIR’s Amy Potemski explores the ways in which states are creating “business rules” to allow for flexibility in the SLO process. SLOs, or Student Learning Objectives, are being used across states as a way to provide a student growth Read more
Two new reports from the New Teacher Center and the Aspen Institute both highlight the importance of rigorous training for new teachers. By looking at the work currently being done by certain model school districts, both reports highlight models through which novice teachers become master teachers. Interestingly, both reports also Read more
Update: Although the forum has ended, it is worthwhile to click on each “Issue” for an archived copy of the forum, and a record of the rich discussion. Original Post: Join the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) for Teacher Professional Development in Crisis: How Can We Give Teachers Read more
MMS Education, an organization that helps for-profit and not-for-profit organizations reach, engage, and measure impact in the PreK-20 education market, published a survey last month that detailed an expected general rise in educators’ use of social media, with an unexpected increase in use of social media sites designed specifically for Read more
Learning Forward and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) have released Building a Learning Community, a study that provides a detailed look at the formation and maintenance of effective professional learning communities. From the abstract: Education research has found that collegial work is connected to teachers’ professional Read more