In a new working paper from the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER), the authors take a closer look at the current policy vogue of redistributing highly effective teachers from low- to high-needs schools. The underlying assumption of this policy “is that teacher productivity is portable Read more
Date: Thursday, July 12, 2012 Time: 2:00-3:00pm EST The new emphasis on teacher effectiveness is changing the K-12 education landscape. What does the latest research suggest about the impact of teacher effectiveness on student achievement? What are the best strategies for enhancing teacher effectiveness? And how do district leaders assess Read more
A new report on teacher evaluation systems, authored by Linda Darling-Hammond, was released by the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (or SCOPE) last week. The report, Creating a Comprehensive System for Evaluating and Supporting Effective Teaching, outlines an integrated approach that connects the goals of teacher preparation and Read more
The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, or ConnCAN, recently published a new report on teacher effectiveness and evaluation that looks at key components of 10 teacher evaluation models. Measuring Teacher Effectiveness: A Look “Under the Hood” of Teacher Evaluation in 10 Sites, was conducted in partnership with Public Impact. The Read more
In a recent commentary piece for Education Week, Brad C. Phillips and Jay J. Pfieffer reflect on data and how it is (mis)used in education. “Factions are setting up camp at two extremes: one for those who believe data is the Holy Grail, and the other for those who shun Read more
As states begin to implement the Common Core, there has been an increased focus on English Language Learners, or ELLs, in the classroom. An estimated 25% of children in America live in households where a language other than English is spoken. How can “regular” classroom teachers support the needs of Read more
In a recent post for the Shanker Blog, Matthew Di Carlo discusses the current policy focus on teacher quality as a way to improve schools. He observes that “some (but not nearly all) components of this all-hands-on-deck effort are perplexing to the many teachers, and have generated quite a bit Read more
The US Department of Education kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week by initiating a dialogue on improving teaching profession, as well as the public perception of America’s teachers. A vision document for reforming the teaching profession created by active classroom teachers working temporarily for the U.S. Department of Education was posted Read more
TNTP has announced the first-ever winners of their Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice. This prize was created to recognize excellent teachers across the country and because “we believe our best teachers deserve far more attention for their hard work, dedication, and extraordinary outcomes with students.” The winners will each Read more
In a recent blog post for Education Week¸ Sarah Sparks reported on the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference in Vancouver, BC. Under discussion was the massive Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project, funded by the Gates Foundation. MET is finding that their teacher effectiveness assessments “aren’t good at showing Read more
In a recent meeting of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to share ideas on how best to implement the Common Core, executive director of CCSSO Gene Wilhoit delivered a frank message: states need to take stronger positions on regulating teacher preparation and licensing standards within their jurisdiction Read more
Public Impact has launched a new website, OpportunityCulture.org. The site focuses on “extending the reach of excellent teachers using job redesign and technology.” The site is divided into four main sections: Why This Matters: What research says about the impact excellent teachers have on student learning. Redesigning Schools: More than Read more
In the most recent issue of the Harvard Educational Review, Anthony Bryk, Heather Harding, and Sharon Greenberg report on a roundtable jointly sponsored by Teach For America and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The authors brought together a group of scholars and practitioners with a broad range Read more
Late last month, TNTP released a new report called Greenhouse Schools. The report seeks to identify “greenhouse schools,” or schools that “are better than others at accelerating student learning by developing and keeping great teachers.” TNTP wants to know what these schools are doing to establish such cultures. After surveying Read more
Last week, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) and Mathematica released a follow-up study to their January report on successful charter management organizations (CMOs). The new report, Learning from Charter School Management Organizations: Strategies for Student Behavior and Teacher Coaching, delves deeper, explaining how five successful CMOs put two Read more
Recently, Linda Darling-Hammond wrote a commentary piece about value-added evaluation methods for Education Week. Excerpts from her commentary are below: Everyone agrees that teacher evaluation in the United States needs an overhaul. Although successful systems exist, most districts are not using approaches that help teachers improve or remove those who Read more