The Evidence for ESSA website, previously launched by Bob Slavin and his group at Johns Hopkins has been very popular among education leaders seeking reliable evidence on educational programs. To date, the evidence-based programs featured on the website have focused on PK-12 reading and math, and programs continue to be Read more
Writing for The Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay recently reviewed research on how to guide students in productive discussions and group work. Excerpts from the piece appear below: A team of U.K. researchers collected all the studies they could find on peer interaction, in which children are either discussing or collaborating Read more
Amber Northern, writing for the Fordham Institute, recently explored research on the latest iteration of the District of Columbia’s teacher evaluation system and found that continuous, thoughtful changes to the system have resulted in sustained improvements in teacher effectiveness in the city. Excerpts of the piece appear below: In their Read more
Writing for Brookings, authors Molly Curtiss and Jenny Perlman Robinson explore the promises and challenges associated with scaling up effective teacher professional development. Excerpts of their piece appear below: The outsized impact of teachers on student learning makes it clear that successfully improving learning outcomes at scale will require reckoning Read more
Writing for the Clayton Christensen Institute, Thomas Arnett recently detailed a vision for the redesign of the role of the teacher. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Given the overflowing demands on teachers’ time, we need to reinvent the classroom and the roles of teachers so that teachers can tackle Read more
New data from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) reveal that the majority of states (35) do not ask for evidence of prior successful teaching for those teachers coming from out of state who are applying for a teaching license-in spite of imposing many demands covering a host of Read more
A recent article by Michael Horn of the Christensen Institute reviews the problem with teachers being both evaluators and facilitators of student learning. Excerpts from the piece appear below: In her bestselling book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Stanford professor Carol Dweck wrote, “When teachers are judging [students], [they] Read more
Research on instructional coaching shows that when defined, understood, and implemented as a principal-coach-teacher partnership, teacher coaching programs can be more effective. Engaged principals are key to a successful coaching program. Digital Promise has recently conducted research on the Dynamic Learning Project (DLP) coaching program that shows that when principals Read more
All 2019 Wonkathon submissions are in. This year’s Wonkathon asked contributors to address a fundamental and challenging question: What’s the best way to help students who are several grade levels behind? Fordham’s Flypaper received nineteen submissions from policy experts and education practitioners. As expected, there was a wide range of Read more
In recent years, cognitive psychologists and other researchers have learned a great deal about effective learning and teaching practices. In some cases, findings have gone against conventional wisdom or common practice, and teachers may have difficulty integrating them into their instruction. In November’s issue brief, Core Education offers resources that Read more
Recently on the Education Gadfly show, Dan Goldhaber, the director of CALDER, joined Mike Petrilli, David Griffith, and Amber Northern to discuss what rigorous research says about identifying, developing, and retaining effective teachers. The discussion focused on three main questions: Are there any indicators that can help us to predict Read more
How do we best educate our children so that they learn better, and learn how to learn, in addition to learning what to learn? How do we translate this body of research into classroom practice effectively? The Learning Agency Lab has released six powerful videos from their “Science of Learning: Read more
The GTL Center’s Mentoring and Induction Toolkit is a ready-to-use resource for states working closely with districts to build strong mentoring and induction programs. The purpose of the GTL Center’s Mentoring and Induction Toolkit is to give regional comprehensive centers (RCCs) and state education agencies (SEAs) tools, resources, and support Read more
Scientists know a lot about effective learning and teaching. In the past several decades, cognitive psychologists and other learning researchers have performed thousands of studies on effective learning and teaching practices. In some cases, research findings have gone against conventional wisdom or common practice. For example, varied practice (in terms Read more
In Where Teachers Thrive, Susan Moore Johnson outlines a powerful argument about the importance of the school as an organization in nurturing high-quality teaching. Based on case studies conducted in fourteen high-poverty, urban schools, the book examines why some schools failed to make progress, while others achieved remarkable results. It Read more
Reducing chronic absence and developing conditions for learning are instrumental to improving outcomes for students and can be improved through policy reform and leadership. Schools and educators have the power to improve both student attendance and conditions for learning. A new Hamilton Project data interactive, “Chronic Absence: School and Community Read more