Curriculum Based Professional Learning: The State of the Field

In recent years, promising open-source, high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) have presented exciting opportunities to enhance students’ engagement and agency in their learning, expand access to grade-level content, and narrow the boundaries between home and school —all without increasing the cost that schools and districts incur for curricula. However, research suggests that curricula, on their own, Read more about Curriculum Based Professional Learning: The State of the Field[…]

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An Assembly of Talent: Empowering and Expanding Human Capital in Education

The education system in the United States must evolve from a one-size-fits-all approach to one in which students’ individualized needs are served by an ecosystem of more flexible learning opportunities. This approach, Assembly, is growing and serving more families than ever. Many families already engage in different flavors of Assembly — from home-schooling co-ops to Read more about An Assembly of Talent: Empowering and Expanding Human Capital in Education[…]

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Teacher Spending Accounts: Supporting All Teachers

An increasing number of students now have access to Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), a policy reform that puts education funds directly in families’ hands to use at the school or education provider of their choice. A new report from Patrick Graff of the American Enterprise Institute argues that teachers deserve similar support and flexibility through Read more about Teacher Spending Accounts: Supporting All Teachers[…]

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How Learning Forward’s Professional Learning Standards Are Associated With Teacher Instruction and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

In 2022, Learning Forward released a revised set of Standards for Professional Learning for teachers. Since the setting of Learning Forward’s 2011 Standards, a growing body of research and implementation in the field surfaced, revealing additional areas of interest salient to teacher professional learning. These areas emerged as Learning Forward engaged in ongoing discussion with Read more about How Learning Forward’s Professional Learning Standards Are Associated With Teacher Instruction and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis[…]

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Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers

The educational community is increasingly focused on the development of students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies and the link between SEL and improved educational attainment and achievement. SEL is the process through which students develop the skills necessary to recognize and manage emotions, build relationships, solve interpersonal problems, and make effective and ethical decisions. Read more about Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies: A Tool for Teachers[…]

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Evaluating the Impact of Teach for America: Two New Studies

Recently, Future Ed reviewed two recent studies that suggest positive results for students in classrooms with TFA teachers, who typically lack the traditional training in education schools and commit for two or more years of service. Excerpts from the piece appear below: In a new working paper from the Annenberg Institute, Brown University researcher Virginia Read more about Evaluating the Impact of Teach for America: Two New Studies[…]

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Educators Field Guide to Preparing for Web3: 3 Steps You Can Take Today, to be Ready for Tomorrow

Writing for Getting Smart, Mike Peck recently reviewed trends in web3 and the principles that guide them that can help inform practices to prepare young people for the next generation of the web. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Broadly speaking,there are a few key principles that are guiding the growth of web3. To try Read more about Educators Field Guide to Preparing for Web3: 3 Steps You Can Take Today, to be Ready for Tomorrow[…]

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3 State Policy Levers to Support Teacher Mental Health

Writing for EdNote, authors Alyssa Rafa and Cassidy Francies present three state policy levers to support teacher mental health. Excerpts from the piece appear below: While state policymakers have been working to improve student mental health for years, there has not been much legislative action related to teacher mental health. It is, however, an issue Read more about 3 State Policy Levers to Support Teacher Mental Health[…]

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Are Two Teachers Better Than One?

Education Next recently published a piece from Nathan Jones and Marcus A. Winters exploring the research on the effect of co-teaching on students with and without disabilities. Excerpts from the piece appear below: For nearly 50 years, special education law has mandated that students with disabilities be served in the “least restrictive environment” possible. This Read more about Are Two Teachers Better Than One?[…]

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Estimating the Effective Teaching Gap

Inequality in educational outcomes is substantial and persistent in the United States. Students from high-income families outperform those from low-income families on achievement tests, are more likely to graduate high school, and are more likely to earn a college degree. Black and Hispanic students also earn lower scores on standardized tests, on average, and are Read more about Estimating the Effective Teaching Gap[…]

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Reimagining the Teaching Job

Recently, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) released a toolkit focused on reimagining the teaching job. An overview of the resources included appears below: Students deserve teachers who thrive in a job that is dynamic, rewarding, collaborative, and sustainable—especially as we all work to recover from the learning, family, and community losses of the past two years. Read more about Reimagining the Teaching Job[…]

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What happens when school leaders are allowed to abandon “step and lane” pay scales

Writing for the Fordham Institute, Amber Northern recently reviewed what happened after the British government abandoned step and lane pay scales for teachers. Excerpts from the piece appear below. In 2013, the British government ended the use of “annual progression” pay scales for teachers. These were similar to U.S.-style “step and lane” models but were Read more about What happens when school leaders are allowed to abandon “step and lane” pay scales[…]

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Designing for Deeper Learning: Challenges in Schools and School Districts Serving Communities Disadvantaged by the Educational System

Designing for and implementing deeper learning across classrooms and schools that serve communities disadvantaged by the U.S. educational system is challenging. A new paper from the Carnegie Foundation illuminates this challenge by asking the question: What would designers of interventions at the classroom, school, and district levels have to take into consideration when they want Read more about Designing for Deeper Learning: Challenges in Schools and School Districts Serving Communities Disadvantaged by the Educational System[…]

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Educator Learning to Enact the Science of Learning and Development

Research advances in neuroscience and the developmental and learning sciences have provided us with important insights about how people learn and develop. This new knowledge points to important transformations in teaching practice, which in turn require transformations in educator development in order to support all educators in developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with Read more about Educator Learning to Enact the Science of Learning and Development[…]

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The Education Combination

A report from the Alliance for Resource Quality and The Education Trust identifies and explores 10 dimensions for providing better, more equitable education. The report argues that utilizing the right combination of resources will significantly impact the learning experiences of students of color, students with disabilities, and other students with high needs. The report notes Read more about The Education Combination[…]

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Teaching virtue in the digital age

Writing for the Fordham Foundation, Jennifer Frey recently argued the case for teaching cyber-wisdom and reviewed a new curriculum that seeks to do just that. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Practical wisdom generally is the habit of mind that allows one to make good practical judgments in the circumstances of her everyday life. Cyber-wisdom Read more about Teaching virtue in the digital age[…]

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