Transforming education systems: Why, what, and how

The Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings and the Ministry of Education of Sierra Leone have teamed up to pose a shared vision of education system transformation. Collectively they offer insights on transformation from the perspective of a global think tank and a national government, highlighting on-the-ground lessons from designing and implementing system-wide educational Read more about Transforming education systems: Why, what, and how[…]

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[…]

Exploring Integrated, Schoolwide SEL in Two Innovative High Schools

A new RAND report reviews two Opportunity by Design (ObD) high schools in which practices for supporting students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) were implemented schoolwide and integrated into teachers’ academic instruction. The ObD initiative was launched by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to support the design and creation of a network of small, Read more about Exploring Integrated, Schoolwide SEL in Two Innovative High Schools[…]

The Alternative Teacher Certification Sector Outside Higher Education

A new article by Jacqueline King and Jessica Yin for the Center for American Progress explores the landscape of alternative teacher preparation in the U.S., beyond those programs offered by colleges and universities. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Unfortunately, there are long-standing educator shortages in particular subject areas and localities. These trends have led Read more about The Alternative Teacher Certification Sector Outside Higher Education[…]

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[…]

The Playbook to Leverage the Power of Communities of Practice

Through its Collaborating States Initiative (CSI), CASEL has observed that state policymakers who have created foundational policies to advance social and emotional learning (SEL) often become interested, as a next step, in creating a statewide community of practice (CoP) to engage districts and schools around a shared vision to promote implementation of SEL. To this Read more about The Playbook to Leverage the Power of Communities of Practice[…]

A revealing reality: Spring 2022 survey of teachers and administrators

As schools reopened last fall, many education leaders and stakeholders predicted that most online learning would fall away, and teachers and students would begin to recover from an unprecedented event. But new data from the Christensen Institute’s ongoing, nationally-representative surveys of hundreds of teachers and administrators have uncovered fascinating insights into what’s actually happening in Read more about A revealing reality: Spring 2022 survey of teachers and administrators[…]

Who You Know: Relationships, Networks and Social Capital in Boosting Educational Opportunity for Young Americans

Writing for Brookings, Reeves and Deng explore the importance of social capital  for promoting educational opportunities and outcomes. The main messages of the paper are as follows: Social capital = relationships that uplift. Social capital is described, defined and measured in a wide variety of different ways. But there is a broad agreement that it Read more about Who You Know: Relationships, Networks and Social Capital in Boosting Educational Opportunity for Young Americans[…]

Partnering to Scale Instructional Improvement: A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships

For decades, researchers and educators alike have been caught in waves of reforms that sought to change the quality of teaching and learning at scale. The press to make instruction more engaging has been amplified by calls to make our educational systems more effective and equitable. While progress has been made in identifying practices and Read more about Partnering to Scale Instructional Improvement: A Framework for Organizing Research-Practice Partnerships[…]

The state of learning loss: 7 takeaways from the latest data

Writing for Chalkbeat, Matt Barnum explores the takeaways from the latest data on pandemic learning loss. Excerpts from the piece appear below:  In the last year, students in younger grades have recovered between 15% and 35% of the learning they had lost, according to data released by the testing group NWEA. That’s the good news, Read more about The state of learning loss: 7 takeaways from the latest data[…]

How Blue States & Red States Use COVID Relief Funds Differently to Aid Schools

Recently in The 74, Bella Dimarco and Phyllis Jordan reviewed the ESSER spending pattern of different states, according to their political persuasion. Excerpts from the piece appear below: As school districts have decided how to spend billions in federal Covid-relief aid, there has been more convergence on priorities—and even a few surprises, according to a Read more about How Blue States & Red States Use COVID Relief Funds Differently to Aid Schools[…]

The Nation Faces School Attendance and Graduation Crises

Writing for Governing Magazine, Carl Smith chronicles the nation’s growing school attendance crisis. Excerpts of the piece appear below: For K-12 students, chronic absence, generally defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days, has escalated into a “full-scale crisis” since 2019, says a new report from the nonprofit Attendance Works, with two- and Read more about The Nation Faces School Attendance and Graduation Crises[…]

Harvard Economist Offers Gloomy Forecast on Reversing Pandemic Learning Loss

Along with collaborators from Dartmouth, the CALDER Center at the American Institutes for Research, and the nonprofit testing group NWEA, Harvard economist Tom Kane released a paper this May incorporating pre- and post-pandemic testing data from over 2 million students in 49 states. Its conclusion: Remote instruction was a “primary driver of widening achievement gaps” Read more about Harvard Economist Offers Gloomy Forecast on Reversing Pandemic Learning Loss[…]

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[…]

Does class size really matter? A Chalkbeat look at the research

Recently Matt Barnum reviewed the research on class size for Chalkbeat. Excerpts of the piece appear below: The key takeaways: Students often do better in smaller classes. But there’s no agreement on exactly how much better, and it remains an open question whether or not class size reduction is a particularly good use of funds Read more about Does class size really matter? A Chalkbeat look at the research[…]

With Grants, Accelerate ED Looks to Better Link K-12, College & Work

Writing for The 74, Sara Allan of the Bill & Melida Gates Foundation, explained a new Gates-funded project, Accelerate ED, which is providing grants in 12 states for programs that seek to link K-12 education, college, and the workplace. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Today, we’re proud to launch Accelerate ED: Seamless Pathways to Read more about With Grants, Accelerate ED Looks to Better Link K-12, College & Work[…]