State of the States 2015: Evaluating Teaching, Leading, Learning

Posted on December 21, 2015December 16, 2015 by coreeducation

A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) examines the policy landscape of teacher and principal evaluations, as well as various states’ successes in using evaluations to inform teacher practice and administrative decisions. As of 2015, twenty-seven states require annual evaluations for all teachers, and forty-five require annual evaluations for all new, Read more about State of the States 2015: Evaluating Teaching, Leading, Learning[…]

A Fresh Look at Preparing Teachers and Leaders

Posted on November 12, 2015November 7, 2015 by coreeducation

The National Association of State Boards of Education’s fall issue of its journal, The State Education Standard explores the many ways policymakers can ensure that those who teach and lead our children in public schools are better prepared and better supported to do their jobs well. Research shows that teacher quality makes the biggest difference Read more about A Fresh Look at Preparing Teachers and Leaders[…]

Supporting Principals Using Teacher Effectiveness Data

Posted on October 28, 2015October 25, 2015 by coreeducation

GTL Center’s latest Professional Learning Module is Supporting Principals Using Teacher Effectiveness Data (September 2015). It discusses practical strategies principals and district leaders can use to make hiring, staffing, teacher leadership, and professional development decisions. Teacher effectiveness data can help school and district leaders to make informed and evidence-based talent management decisions, but too many Read more about Supporting Principals Using Teacher Effectiveness Data[…]

States Wrestle With How to Get Good Teachers in All Schools

Posted on October 9, 2015October 22, 2015 by coreeducation

Last year, with much fanfare, the Obama administration declared that it would tackle the tricky issue of equitable teacher distribution, calling on states to revise their plans for making sure that high-poverty schools get their fair share of qualified educators. Now most states have answered the call, rewriting plans that initially stemmed from requirements in Read more about States Wrestle With How to Get Good Teachers in All Schools[…]

Opportunity Culture Initiative Update

Posted on September 24, 2015March 30, 2017 by coreeducation

In 2016-17, the Opportunity Culture initiative included more than 110 schools, 1250 teachers, and 34,000 students in 17 sites across 7 states. According to the Public Impact website, Opportunity Culture schools are defined by the following characteristics: Teachers lead the way. Each Opportunity Culture school creates a team of teachers and administrators who decide what Read more about Opportunity Culture Initiative Update[…]

How the Recession Helps Student Math Scores

Posted on September 18, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

When teachers enter the profession during a recession, they’re more effective at boosting student test scores in math, a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds. Recession-era teachers didn’t have as much of an effect on student reading scores. The study considers data for 33,000 fourth and fifth grade teachers in Read more about How the Recession Helps Student Math Scores[…]

Giving, Receiving Professional Development Every Day

Posted on September 15, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Joe Ashby was a a multi-classroom leader (MCL) at Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee before finishing his doctorate and moving on to be a principal in California. He recently wrote an article about that experience for Real Clear Education, and he focused on the flexibility and growth that was present in Read more about Giving, Receiving Professional Development Every Day[…]

Giving Teachers the Feedback and Support they Deserve

Posted on September 11, 2015September 4, 2015 by coreeducation

Teachers need helpful feedback and support to improve their instruction and own their professional growth. Over the past four years, 30 states have changed how they evaluate teachers, and another 14 states are slated to do so in the next two years. As many of those states are learning, however, simply developing new evaluation tools Read more about Giving Teachers the Feedback and Support they Deserve[…]

Clinically Oriented Teacher Preparation

Posted on September 1, 2015August 28, 2015 by coreeducation

Urban Teacher Residency United has released a new report titled Clinically Oriented Teacher Preparation. This report examines how preparation programs around the country are adopting core components of a residency model to innovate and improve teacher education through robust clinical experiences. A brief overview: Clinically Oriented Teacher Preparation (COTP) shares examples of innovative, clinically oriented Read more about Clinically Oriented Teacher Preparation[…]

Do we know how to help teachers get better?

Posted on August 27, 2015August 16, 2015 by coreeducation

TNTP has spent the last two years trying to answer the question, “Do we know how to help teachers get better?” Their new report,The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Teacher Development, shares what they found. The Mirage examines how three large public school districts and one charter school network support teachers’ Read more about Do we know how to help teachers get better?[…]

The 2016 Schools of Character application is now open!

Posted on August 26, 2015August 16, 2015 by coreeducation

The Schools of Character program has provided hundreds of schools with a framework and professional feedback that has improved their school culture and climate. In a more supportive environment, students thrive and schools see increased academic achievement and decreased behavioral issues. Every school can and should become a school of character. Apply to join the Read more about The 2016 Schools of Character application is now open![…]

Developing Workplaces Where Teachers Stay, Improve and Succeed

Posted on July 28, 2015July 21, 2015 by coreeducation

Professors Matthew Kraft and John Papay discuss research showing that the school contexts in which teachers work have a profound influence on their effectiveness. Below are excerpts from their article: An emerging body of research now shows that the contexts in which teachers work profoundly shape teachers’ job decisions and their effectiveness. Put simply, teachers Read more about Developing Workplaces Where Teachers Stay, Improve and Succeed[…]

Using the Wisdom of Educators

Posted on July 14, 2015July 10, 2015 by coreeducation

One of education’s big problems is that the collective wisdom, insights, observations and experience of educators are pretty much squandered. That is to say, millions of educators have figured out important things about what and how to teach under different kinds of conditions — but no system exists for them to contribute their bit of Read more about Using the Wisdom of Educators[…]

Teaching Experience Matters More Than We Used to Think

Posted on July 7, 2015September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Two new research studies that evaluated vast amounts of data both concluded that teachers continue to improve over the course of their careers. The prevailing wisdom from previous research, which many teachers and teachers unions have disputed, said that teachers improved in their first several years of teaching, but then plateaued. The studies looked at Read more about Teaching Experience Matters More Than We Used to Think[…]

Board-Certified Teachers More Effective, New Studies Affirm

Posted on July 6, 2015July 3, 2015 by coreeducation

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has offered a national certification for interested teachers since the late 1980s. There are currently 110,000 National Board certified teachers across the U.S. This blog wrote about changes the NBPTS made to its certification process to incentivize more teachers to become board-certified. With new research out showing Read more about Board-Certified Teachers More Effective, New Studies Affirm[…]

Communication and Engagement Strategies for High-Quality Evaluation

Posted on June 10, 2015June 6, 2015 by coreeducation

State and district leaders need more than high-quality measures of teacher effectiveness to make their evaluation policies stick. They also need communications and engagement strategies, ongoing professional learning and support opportunities for teachers, and a plan to combine and use evaluation data to inform decisions at the school, district and state level. Without these pieces Read more about Communication and Engagement Strategies for High-Quality Evaluation[…]