What Role Can Online COPs Play in Achieving Teacher Excellence?

Posted on March 19, 2012April 25, 2012 by coreeducation

The US Department of Education is continuing its work to determine how online communities of practice (COPs) may help teachers improve their practice. For the past year, the Department’s Offices of Innovation and Improvement (OII) and Educational Technology (OET) have been researching several critical issues that may influence the effectiveness of online COPs. During this Read more about What Role Can Online COPs Play in Achieving Teacher Excellence?[…]

Movin’ It and Improvin’ It

Posted on February 1, 2012April 25, 2012 by coreeducation

The Center for American Progress (CAP) has released a report that analyzes how states can use the results of their teacher evaluation systems in a meaningful way. In other words, “what kinds of strategies should they adopt to increase the amount of measured effectiveness in the teacher workforce over time?” In October 2011, the National Read more about Movin’ It and Improvin’ It[…]

How Teachers Can Support Each Other

Posted on December 19, 2011August 30, 2014 by coreeducation

Larry Ferlazzo, an Education Week blogger and award-winning classroom teacher, recently addressed concerns from the teaching community on how to create a more supportive work environment. In the wake of high-stakes testing and high-pressure evaluations, morale in the teachers’ lounge appears to have taken a nose dive. One reader asked Ferlazzo how to address “unhealthy Read more about How Teachers Can Support Each Other[…]

Teaching Children Well

Posted on December 11, 2011April 25, 2012 by coreeducation

Last month, Robert Pianta of the Center for American Progress released a report reflecting on new evidence-based approaches to professional development and training of teachers. He notes the lack of a “stockpile” of effective teacher preparation and PD approaches to help states and districts meet the needs of their teachers, which has led to districts Read more about Teaching Children Well[…]

Six Ideas about Professional Growth for Teachers

Posted on November 28, 2011April 25, 2012 by coreeducation

In a recent blog post for Education Week, educator Nancy Flanagan reflected on a recent encounter she had with a young teacher after a panel discussion. The teacher described her loneliness at her school, which is focused on raising test scores and has an atmosphere of fear and bitterness among the teaching staff subsumed by Read more about Six Ideas about Professional Growth for Teachers[…]

Education Week: “Spotlight on Professional Learning Communities”

Posted on November 21, 2011April 25, 2012 by coreeducation

Education Week is offering another free “Spotlight” collection for download, this one focused on professional learning communities (PLCs). Spotlights are a collection of past articles from the publication focused on a particular topic. The 10 articles in this Spotlight offer insights on: –Building effective teacher teams –Starting a new PLC –Preventing Group Burnout –Tips on Read more about Education Week: “Spotlight on Professional Learning Communities”[…]

Is Teaching a Team Sport?

Posted on November 9, 2011August 30, 2014 by coreeducation

John Merrow recently blogged about a comment made by the Center for Teaching Quality’s Barnett Berry: “Teaching is a team sport,” he told Merrow. Merrow was left wondering—is this true? Baseball is a team sport, with everyone needing to work together for success, while at the same time allowing for individual statistics and honors. But Read more about Is Teaching a Team Sport?[…]

University of Michigan Launches “TeachingWorks”

Posted on October 31, 2011June 4, 2012 by coreeducation

Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of Michigan’s School of Education, recently unveiled TeachingWorks, a wing of the School of Education that will focus on “raising the standards for practice as a classroom teacher by transforming how teachers are prepared and supported.” The details of the eventual character of TeachingWorks is still unclear (the full site is Read more about University of Michigan Launches “TeachingWorks”[…]

What We Lose When Teachers Retire

Posted on October 11, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

It is projected that over the next decade, one million teachers will retire from the profession. This estimate forms the basis of the current Department of Education policy objectives to transform the teaching profession by reforming teacher evaluation systems, identifying and rewarding effective teachers while removing the ineffective, and recruiting a “new brand” of teacher. Read more about What We Lose When Teachers Retire[…]

Teacher Induction Gets Renewed Attention

Posted on October 10, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

At a conference sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education on October 4, advocates for robust new-teacher support systems gathered to change the current discourse “from evaluation to induction.” Richard Ingersoll, professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke about an analysis he released last year of the National Center Read more about Teacher Induction Gets Renewed Attention[…]

Doctor’s Orders: Fund Teacher-Coaching Programs

Posted on October 5, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Atul Gawande, a surgeon-writer who has gained recognition in the education world through his appearance in Robert Ruth’s recent piece about using checklists for reading instruction, recently wrote a an article for the New Yorker that offers insights into the teaching (and medical) profession. Gawande describes an experience with a young tennis coach, who, after Read more about Doctor’s Orders: Fund Teacher-Coaching Programs[…]

Education Week “Spotlights”

Posted on September 20, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Education Week is currently offering four free “Spotlight” collections for download. Spotlights are a collection of past articles from the publication focused on a particular topic. The four being offered gratis include collections on professional development, teacher evaluation, implementing common standards, and data-driven decision-making. Here are the highlights from each: Spotlight on Reinventing Professional Development Read more about Education Week “Spotlights”[…]

A Teacher Finds Good in Testing

Posted on September 5, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

n the August 31, 2011 issue of Education Week, former educator Ama Nyamekye reflects on the controversy surrounding high-stakes testing. In college, she was active in protesting these types of tests and thought that “good teachers should be left to their own devices.” She writes, “ I was certain that I was a good teacher. Read more about A Teacher Finds Good in Testing[…]

Learning Forward: Standards for Professional Learning

Posted on August 22, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Last month Learning Forward released the third edition of its Standards for Professional Learning. These standards outline “the characteristics of professional learning that lead to effective teaching practices, supportive leadership, and improved student results.” The standards are not simply platitudes, however. It is stated clearly that the standards are not a prescription for how teachers, Read more about Learning Forward: Standards for Professional Learning[…]