Learning to Teach Through Avatars

Writing for The Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay explores a Virginia study that shows that prospective teachers improve their handling of student misbehavior when training simulations with avatars are combined with coaching. Excerpts of the piece appear below: University of Virginia researchers are rigorously testing computerized simulations of misbehaving students to see if they help student Read more about Learning to Teach Through Avatars[…]

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High School Coursework Falls Short in Workforce Prep, Survey Suggests

Adults, parents, and employers see today’s high school students as being less prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation than earlier generations of high school students, while half of today’s students themselves feel unprepared, a survey conducted by the Global Strategy Group and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation finds. Based on an online survey of Read more about High School Coursework Falls Short in Workforce Prep, Survey Suggests[…]

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Appraising Teachers Across the Globe: Where the U.S. Stands

Writing for FutureEd, Andreas Schleicher reviews the findings of the second volume of the  Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Excerpts of the piece appear below. TALIS, which surveyed 260,000 secondary school teachers and administrators worldwide, found that only 7 percent of teachers work in schools Read more about Appraising Teachers Across the Globe: Where the U.S. Stands[…]

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Student Teaching and Initial Licensure in the Times of Coronavirus

Writing for the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), Patricia Saenz-Armstrong explores how student teaching and initial licensure practices are shifting during this time of school closures. Excerpts from the piece appear below: School closures have obvious impacts on current students and teachers and are also creating challenges for teacher candidates hoping to graduate this Read more about Student Teaching and Initial Licensure in the Times of Coronavirus[…]

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Prepare Now for a a Precipitous ‘COVID Slide’ Next Year

NWEA has announced projections that suggest current school closures due to the COVID-19 global pandemic could result in dramatic learning loss for students. The research, conducted by NWEA’s Collaborative for Student Growth Research Center, leverages previous NWEA research on summer learning loss and uses a national sample of over five million students in grades 3-8 Read more about Prepare Now for a a Precipitous ‘COVID Slide’ Next Year[…]

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Transforming Virtual Systems for Students with Disabilities

Two searchable databases include valuable information on meeting the varied needs of students through distance learning. WestEd’s National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI) is a helpful compilation of relevant guidance and resources related to distance learning, policy, and support for children and youth with disabilities. Among many resources, you will find: Distance Learning for Students Read more about Transforming Virtual Systems for Students with Disabilities[…]

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How are school districts adapting teacher work policies for emergency closures?

Understandably, the sudden closure of schools has been both immeasurably difficult and confusing for students and adults alike. The first priority for most school districts has been ensuring the safety and nutrition of their students, but now the focus is increasingly on how to keep students learning–and that requires forging teacher policies to address issues Read more about How are school districts adapting teacher work policies for emergency closures?[…]

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NC3T – Preparing Our Students for the Real World: The Education Shift Our Children and Future Demand

The National Center for College and Career Transitions (NC3T) has released a new position paper, arguing for Career Connected Learning as a strategy for engaging students and preparing them to thrive in the adult world. Written by Hans Meeder and Brett Pawlowski, this piece provides education decision-makers and stakeholders with a sweeping look at the Read more about NC3T – Preparing Our Students for the Real World: The Education Shift Our Children and Future Demand[…]

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Virtual Learning: What Works?

With more and more students studying online, what actually helps students? The spread of coronavirus throughout the U.S. has led to an unprecedented experiment in virtual learning. With schools across the country moving to an online learning model for the rest of the semester, The Learning Agency Lab decided to take a look at the Read more about Virtual Learning: What Works?[…]

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Shifting the Clinical Experience Using Virtual Formats

PK-12 districts and universities across the nation are currently challenged with social distancing measures that are limiting and, in most cases, preventing deep, authentic, and job-embedded clinical experiences that we know to be one of the cornerstones of a candidates’ effective preparation as a teacher.  In light of this reality, US PREP has assembled resources Read more about Shifting the Clinical Experience Using Virtual Formats[…]

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Reimagining the Workforce Development and Employment System for the 21st Century and Beyond

Recognizing the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and systems thinking, RAND Corporation researchers, supported by RAND Corporation investment funds, have  developed a systems-level, blue-sky approach to conceptualizing and visualizing a 21st-century U.S. workforce development and employment system. A new report from RAND is the first step in moving the United States to a system that accounts Read more about Reimagining the Workforce Development and Employment System for the 21st Century and Beyond[…]

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Education Policy Approaches to Trauma-Informed Practices

A new two-page policy outline from Education Commission of the States serves as an introduction to trauma-informed practices, as defined in state education policy. Trauma-informed practices intersect with school discipline, student health, educator training, school safety, and more.  There are four categories of recent state policy action, including Educator and School Staff Training, Task Forces/Committees, Read more about Education Policy Approaches to Trauma-Informed Practices[…]

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America’s Growing Demand for Information Technology and Computer Science

Excel in Ed and Code.org have teamed up to bring a new report focusing on the demand of the U.S. workforce for graduates skilled in information technology and computer science. Companies are struggling to find workers with information technology (IT) and computer science (CS) skills to fill hundreds of thousands of jobs.  While the demand Read more about America’s Growing Demand for Information Technology and Computer Science[…]

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Achieve’s Graduating Ready Data Explorer

Achieve’s Data Explorer seeks to provide clear information about high school pathways, graduation requirements, and the differences across states. The site includes the details of the options and requirements for graduation in every state.  As you dig into the data, you’ll see that states are offering an increasing variety of graduation options and pathways to Read more about Achieve’s Graduating Ready Data Explorer[…]

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Low-Hanging Fruit: How Automatic Enrollment in Advanced Coursework is Leveling the Playing Field

PIE Network members in Colorado, North Carolina, and Washington State recently shared details about automatic enrollment policies (also known as academic acceleration), which ensure that students with qualifying test scores in a particular subject are automatically enrolled in advanced coursework in the same subject area. As a result, more students who have proven they’re ready Read more about Low-Hanging Fruit: How Automatic Enrollment in Advanced Coursework is Leveling the Playing Field[…]

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To Usher In an ‘Age of Agility’ in Education, We Must Talk Less About Schools – and More About Students

Writing for The 74, Beth Hawkins recently reviewed innovations that shake up the high school to college pipeline emerging from the symposium celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Excerpts of the piece appear below: The symposium explored ways in which the traditional concept of school could be challenged, pushing particularly Read more about To Usher In an ‘Age of Agility’ in Education, We Must Talk Less About Schools – and More About Students[…]

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