Pearson’s Center for Educator Effectiveness has released a new guide to assist states and districts as they begin to develop and implement new teacher and principal evaluation systems. The guide, Evaluating Teachers and Principals: Developing Fair, Valid and Reliable Systems, highlights the critical steps and considerations necessary to build a Read more
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform and the Schott Foundation for Public Education recently released a new report, Straight Talk on Teaching Quality: Six Game-Changing Ideas and What to Do About Them. The report, which is more of a guide for improving teaching effectiveness, is based on the plethora of Read more
In a recent article, Time blogger Andrew Rotherham argues that not only should parents take care when picking their child’s school, but they should be able to go so far as to pick their child’s teacher as well. He argues that even in good schools, teacher effectiveness is so variable Read more
A new paper from the Center for American Progress takes a look at the increasingly talked about “wraparound services” for children in low-income communities, and the connections to teacher efficiency. Wraparound services generally refer to non-classroom services such as health care, family involvement programs, and food assistance. There is Read more
Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation released its most recent report on the MET Project (Measures of Effective Teaching). The report focuses on the second set of preliminary findings, particularly on classroom observations. Five instruments for classroom observations are studied: the Framework for Teaching (FFT), developed by the Danielson Group; Read more
There is ample research on the differences in teacher distribution across schools vis-à-vis teacher demographics and experience, but what about teacher distribution within schools? A paper published by the Urban Institute looks at this issue. By comparing teachers within the same grade level and school in an urban district during Read more
Last month, Wendy Kopp of Teach for America and Dennis Van Roekel of the National Education Association discussed their thoughts on ways to improve the teaching force in the US in an article that appeared in USa Today. “As [education] leaders…we know from experience that great teachers are made, not Read more
The Center for American Progress has released two new reports that attempt to predict the outcomes of traditional defined-benefit pensions for teachers vs. cash-balance plans. Redefining Teacher Pensions: Strategically Defined Benefits for New Teachers and Fiscal Sustainability for All, by Raegan Miller, argues that since teachers are the single most Read more
The National Education Writers Association (EWA) has released a research brief on teacher effectiveness. Organized around several prevailing questions about teacher effectiveness, the brief seeks to synthesize the available research to help leaders make informed decisions as they develop teacher evaluation systems. The brief reviews over 40 specific research studies Read more
The Center for Education Data & Research (CEDR) has released a study that examines teacher preparation programs in Washington State, in an effort to determine a link between program efficacy and teacher effectiveness. Comparing data between teacher’s initial endorsements and student achievement on state math and reading tests, the study Read more
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) recently released their revised standards for online teaching to ensure that students engaged in online learning have access to quality education. The new standards differentiate between two sets of indicators: the first are what the online teacher should know and understand; the Read more
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently released a “First Look” report on the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study (BTLS), which collected data from teachers who entered the profession in 2007 or 2008 in three waves (two more waves of collection are expected). This report looks at the first wave Read more
A recent report released by Public Impact proposes a strategy for getting an excellent teacher into every classroom, which would “close most of our stubborn achievement gaps in just five years.” An “excellent teacher” is described as one who produces well over today’s typical year of learning growth, and the Read more
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released his draft proposal for the reauthorization of ESEA on October 11. To date, the proposal has been met with mixed reactions across the country. Civil rights groups assert that the proposal to scrap Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a giant step backwards when it comes Read more
The Center for Education Reform (CER) recently launched their new, interactive website, which they hope will become the central hub for all things related to education reform. The CER, founded in 1993 to help bridge the gap between education policy and practice, says that it re-designed their site in order Read more
A new study published in the current issue of Educational Researcher began with a simple question: Is the well-documented phenomenon of teacher effectiveness increasing substantially over the first two years of teaching due to skill improvement over time, or because weaker teachers choose to leave—making the overall teaching pool look Read more