Majority of States Work to Advance Leadership Opportunities for Classroom Teachers

A new analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality demonstrates that more states are recognizing the importance of leadership roles for teachers, signaling that state policy is beginning to reflect teachers’ voices. Thirty-five states now have formal teacher leadership policies, with a net of eight additional states adopting formal teacher leadership policies in the Read more about Majority of States Work to Advance Leadership Opportunities for Classroom Teachers[…]

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November Issue Brief: The Science of Learning

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 provide an overview of findings Read more about November Issue Brief: The Science of Learning[…]

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Prioritizing The Most Urgent Education Challenges

Over the past two years, Digital Promise has engaged in a rigorous research process to surface common challenges being tackled in public schools around the country. The resulting Challenge Map presents 38 shared education challenges within nine broad themes related to: Students and classrooms (student learning and instructional approaches) Schools (professional learning & support, school Read more about Prioritizing The Most Urgent Education Challenges[…]

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College Acceleration for All? Mapping Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment Participation

Researchers from the Community College Research Center at Columbia University are working with Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program to improve the outcomes of college acceleration strategies for underrepresented high school students, particularly students of color and those from low-income families. This research project is designed to better understand the drivers that can increase equitable access Read more about College Acceleration for All? Mapping Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment Participation[…]

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Overcoming the Challenges Facing Innovative Learning Models in K-12 Education

Joel Rose of New Classrooms Innovation Partners recently wrote a piece for AEI illuminating the forces that keep schools as they are and exploring how these forces might be addressed. Main points include the following: K-12 innovation has a fundamental paradox: Meaningful improvements to student outcomes require learning models that challenge the basic constructs of Read more about Overcoming the Challenges Facing Innovative Learning Models in K-12 Education[…]

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Tools for Using Student Perspectives for School Improvement

Listening closely to what students say about their school experiences can be beneficial to educators for understanding and addressing school-related topics and problems and for rethinking policies and practices.  A new toolkit from REL West provides educators a purposeful and systematic means to gather and analyze local data by eliciting and listening to student voice Read more about Tools for Using Student Perspectives for School Improvement[…]

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Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement

New Schools Venture Fund has released a new insight brief, “Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement.”  Nearly five years ago, in 2015, NSVF began investing in a national portfolio of innovative public schools that all embrace what they call an expanded definition of student success. So far, the organization has invested in Read more about Using Expanded Measures of Student Success for School Improvement[…]

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Do Kids Fall Behind in Math Because There Isn’t Enough Grade-Level Material, or Because There’s Too Much? It’s Both

Writing for The 74, Joel Rose and Daniel Weisberg recently reviewed an apparent paradox in education. Math instruction is both too rigorous and not rigorous enough. See below for excerpts from their piece: Walk into almost any classroom in America, and you’ll find at least some students who’ve fallen behind the academic standards for their Read more about Do Kids Fall Behind in Math Because There Isn’t Enough Grade-Level Material, or Because There’s Too Much? It’s Both[…]

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Brain Fitness and Executive Function: Evidence-Based Interventions

BrainFutures recently released a report that makes a clear case for integrating proven brain fitness programs into all U.S. classrooms. Over a decade of research has shown that evidence-based programs can improve students’ executive function skills and prosocial behaviors, which are more accurate predictors of academic readiness and life success than IQ or any other Read more about Brain Fitness and Executive Function: Evidence-Based Interventions[…]

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Early-College High School Students More Likely to Earn Postsecondary Degrees

Building on a previous randomized experiment of the impact of Early Colleges (ECs) (Berger et al., 2013), the American Institutes for Research (AIR) has released a new follow-up study that assesses the longer-term impacts of ECs on students’ postsecondary outcomes 6 years after expected high school graduation. Using data from the National Student Clearinghouse, researchers Read more about Early-College High School Students More Likely to Earn Postsecondary Degrees[…]

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Scientific research on how to teach critical thinking contradicts education trends

Recently for The Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay provided an overview of scientific research that finds that content knowledge is crucial to effective critical thinking. Portions of the piece appear below: Critical thinking is all the rage in education. Schools brag that they teach it on their websites and in open houses to impress parents. Some Read more about Scientific research on how to teach critical thinking contradicts education trends[…]

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Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success

Each year in the United States, 46 million children are exposed to violence, crime, abuse, homelessness, or food insecurity, as well as a range of other experiences that cause psychological trauma. These experiences create toxic stress that can affect children’s attention, learning, and behavior. Research on human development shows that the effects of such trauma Read more about Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success[…]

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Elevating Student Voice in Education

Students have the greatest stake in their education but often little to no say in how it is delivered.  This lack of agency represents a lost opportunity to accelerate learning and prepare students for a world in which taking initiative and learning new skills are increasingly paramount to success-that’s where “student voice” comes in. The Read more about Elevating Student Voice in Education[…]

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Three Persistent Myths about School Integration, 65 Years after Brown v. Board

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in the landmark Brown v. Board decision that school segregation was unconstitutional. Yet 65 years later, schools in major US cities remain more segregated than neighborhoods, and many students attend classes filled mostly with students who look like them. At the same time, opportunity and achievement gaps Read more about Three Persistent Myths about School Integration, 65 Years after Brown v. Board[…]

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Open Source Science Curriculum

OpenSciEd has launched to address the need among teachers and school districts for high-quality, open-source, full-course science instructional materials. Science literacy and successful completion of high school science courses is critical for students’ success in a growing STEM economy. The first OpenSciEd units for grades 6-8 are available now, after extensive field testing in ten Read more about Open Source Science Curriculum[…]

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How Schools Can Cultivate Courage in the Face of Fear

Recently in Getting Smart, Tyler Thigpen wrote a piece on fear in the classroom, offering educators some insight into the debilitating anxiety that some students experience. Excerpts from the piece appear below: What if by understanding where fears stem from, educators could design the learning environment for optimal courage? Courage is not about avoiding fear. Read more about How Schools Can Cultivate Courage in the Face of Fear[…]

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