Programs Versus Practices: What’s the “What” in What Works?

Posted on March 14, 2017March 10, 2017 by coreeducation

Ruth Neild of the American Youth Policy Forum recently provided advice on what types of interventions educators should be looking for when they strive to meet the ESSA evidence standards. Her explanation encompasses programs, models, policies, practices, and products. Excerpts of her piece appear below: “Invest in what works, and stop doing what doesn’t!” This, Read more about Programs Versus Practices: What’s the “What” in What Works?[…]

Reimagining the School Day: Innovative Schedules for Teaching and Learning

Posted on March 13, 2017March 10, 2017 by coreeducation

Teachers in the U.S. spend far more time engaged in active instruction than their peers in other parts of the world. Yet some of teachers’ most important responsibilities–such as planning and collaborating with peers–require non-instructional time. Fortunately, there are several promising models schools have used for creative scheduling to provide teachers with the time they Read more about Reimagining the School Day: Innovative Schedules for Teaching and Learning[…]

Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement

Posted on March 8, 2017March 4, 2017 by coreeducation

The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd (CST) has released the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement. This report was developed as a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework shares, in practical language, the critical practices of successful school turnaround in four domains, or areas Read more about Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement[…]

Providing All Students with a Well-Rounded Education through ESSA

Posted on March 7, 2017March 4, 2017 by coreeducation

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) have released a new interactive tool for principals: Principals Action Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): Providing All Students with a Well-Rounded and Complete Education. Principals’ crucial voices are needed in ESSA planning. To support Read more about Providing All Students with a Well-Rounded Education through ESSA[…]

Improvement is a Team Sport

Posted on March 3, 2017February 22, 2017 by coreeducation

Manuelito Biag recently reflected on educational improvement in the Carnegie Commons Blog, arguing that improvement requires a user-centered strategy. Excerpts of the article appear below: In education, knowing what works, for whom, and under what conditions requires deep understanding of individuals — their needs, concerns, and motivations — as well as the contexts they inhabit. Read more about Improvement is a Team Sport[…]

February Issue Brief: College Readiness

Posted on March 1, 2017February 22, 2017 by coreeducation

This year the United States hit a record high graduation rate of 83 percent, and 66 percent of graduating students enrolled in college. But we are discovering that high school graduation does not necessarily equate to readiness for college coursework. NAEP data show that only 37 percent of high school seniors are academically prepared for Read more about February Issue Brief: College Readiness[…]

State Planning Tool for Standards-Based Accountability Under ESSA

Posted on February 28, 2017March 31, 2021 by coreeducation

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) presents states with an opportunity to broaden their visions of college and career readiness by including multiple measures of accountability that better recognize the multiple pathways to college and career readiness. A new resource from the College & Career Readiness & Success Center at AIR provides states Read more about State Planning Tool for Standards-Based Accountability Under ESSA[…]

Colleges Enroll Many Students who Aren’t Prepared

Posted on February 27, 2017March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

The vast majority of public two- and four-year colleges report enrolling students – more than half a million of them – who are not ready for college-level work, a Hechinger Report investigation of 44 states has found. The numbers reveal a glaring gap in the nation’s education system: A high school diploma, no matter how Read more about Colleges Enroll Many Students who Aren’t Prepared[…]

Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change

Posted on February 24, 2017February 16, 2017 by coreeducation

In the current climate of education reform, where one innovation is often quickly replaced with another, the concept of teacher ownership is critical. Those responsible for change must have a voice in creating and directing that change: teachers cannot be viewed as simply the implementers. The Annenberg Institute for School reform conducted a mixed-methods study Read more about Getting to Teacher Ownership: How Schools Are Creating Meaningful Change[…]

Guidance for Principals to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

Posted on February 22, 2017February 16, 2017 by coreeducation

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center released PSEL 2015 and Promoting Principal Leadership for the Success of Students with Disabilities, which outlines key steps every state can take to ensure all school principals are prepared to create and lead learning environments Read more about Guidance for Principals to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities[…]

Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning

Posted on February 21, 2017March 28, 2020 by coreeducation

The Carnegie Foundation has collaborated with colleagues in the University of Michigan’s School of Education and Ross School of Business to develop a massive open online course that moves aspiring and practicing educational leaders to improve learning outcomes for all students. In this course, Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning, the aim is to develop leaders’ Read more about Leading Ambitious Teaching and Learning[…]

How Are Middle School Climate and Academic Performance Related Across Schools

Posted on February 17, 2017February 10, 2017 by coreeducation

Schools with a more positive student-reported climate had higher academic achievement in English language arts and mathematics than schools with a less positive climate, according to a new study from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West. While there is widespread consensus that positive school climate leads to higher academic performance, most of the research has compared Read more about How Are Middle School Climate and Academic Performance Related Across Schools[…]

The Principal Story Video Series

Posted on February 15, 2017February 10, 2017 by coreeducation

School leadership matters. During the past decade, there has been a growing recognition among educators and policymakers that school principals must be instructional leaders who ensure that high-quality teaching occurs in every classroom. This view is backed up by a solid body of evidence showing that leadership places second only to teaching among school-related influences Read more about The Principal Story Video Series[…]

Instructional Choice vs. School Choice

Posted on February 13, 2017January 30, 2017 by coreeducation

Julia Freeland Fisher has written an insightful piece for the Christensen Institute in which she cuts through the “charter vs. district” debate and explores the sorts of instructional innovations and choices, within and across school systems, that stand to bring more students into 21st-century schools. Excerpts of her article appear below: The next generation vision Read more about Instructional Choice vs. School Choice[…]

The School Principal’s Role in Reducing Teacher Turnover

Posted on February 9, 2017January 30, 2017 by coreeducation

Roxanne Garza of New America recently examined the important role principals play in building a school environment that reduces teacher attrition. Excerpts from her article appear below: Recent debates about ensuring all students have effective teachers have largely centered on how to recruit, prepare, evaluate, and—more recently—develop them. But these efforts to “build a better Read more about The School Principal’s Role in Reducing Teacher Turnover[…]

Why States Should Focus More on School Climate Under ESSA

Posted on January 27, 2017January 23, 2017 by coreeducation

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states are allowed to include at least one non-academic indicator of school quality or student success within their accountability systems. The law lays out several possibilities: student engagement, educator engagement, student access to–and completion of–advanced coursework, postsecondary readiness, and school climate. In a new essay, professors Amity Noltemeyer and Read more about Why States Should Focus More on School Climate Under ESSA[…]