There’s lots of talk about getting more teacher voices into public discussions about education. As there should be. What we don’t talk about as often, however, is this: Just because someone puts a microphone in front of you doesn’t mean you’re ready to represent your profession – or even yourself – in a public forum. Read more about How to Make the Most of an Opportunity for Teacher Voice[…]
For years, education leaders have sought to pinpoint how teachers become effective in order to better leverage teachers’ impact on student learning and improve student outcomes. Teacher leadership is receiving increased attention as a potential lever for improved instruction, recruitment and retention of effective teachers, and improved student outcomes. This is the driving force behind Read more about Teacher Leadership Roles and the Effect on Instruction[…]
A recent survey by the Association of American Educators asked its members about how they felt about education reform. The survey asked its members about current issues in education including School Choice, Virtual Education and Technology, Testing and Assessments, Teacher Preparation and Leadership, and the 2016 Presidential Election. The results were surprising: The organization’s 2016 Read more about Teachers Speak Out on Education Reform and Use of Technology[…]
Teachers often know best when it comes to helping their students achieve academic success, but districts and schools are not set up to capitalize on the wisdom of teachers. In this month’s issue brief from Core Education, we explore ideas related to increasing teacher professionalism, including changed teacher roles, teacher-powered schools, and ideas borrowed from Read more about March Issue Brief: Teacher Professionalism[…]
A significant challenge to school turnaround efforts is a lack of turnaround leaders available to work in these schools. Four education organizations —The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd, the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, Public Impact, and the University of Virginia Darden/Curry Partnership – have been studying issues of school turnaround and have Read more about Identifying, Selecting, and Retaining School Turnaround Leaders: How-To Modules[…]
A recent blog by the Albert Shaker Institute examines the inner workings of what is effective and what is not effective when it comes to teacher collaboration. The blog starts off with an attention-grabbing introduction: You’ve probably attended meetings that were a waste of your time. Perhaps there was no agenda. Perhaps the facilitator of Read more about What Makes Teacher Collaboration Work?[…]
Education Week author Marc Tucker describes what NCEE has learned about the design of the instructional systems used by top-performing countries and suggest ways in which U.S. states can adapt those lessons for use in their own state system under the Every Student Succeeds Act. He defines “instructional system” as a system that combines standards Read more about Building a Powerful State Instructional System for All Students[…]
University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and New Leaders have released a toolkit, called SEP3, to help states evaluate principal preparation programs. This toolkit provides essential guidance, tools, and resources for implementing a more in-depth and rigorous principal preparation evaluation process, thereby enabling states to accurately assess quality, promote improvement, and intervene in the case Read more about State Evaluation of Principal Preparation Programs Toolkit[…]
School administrators serve as instructional leaders and set the tone for the culture of a school. The principal’s influence is pivotal. In this month’s issue brief, we explore effective school leadership and recommendations for improving the training, support and evaluation of educational leaders. You can read the issue brief here: http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a4ae2b1b129b9f8a29d50b80f&id=ade984414e&e=60969abf82 To ensure you do Read more about February Issue Brief: Effective School Leadership[…]
A recent article in Education Week, written by Evie Blad, examines how select California school districts, collectively known as CORE districts, are measuring school effectiveness with criteria that extends beyond academic success. As discussions about school accountability begin to focus more intently on factors beyond standardized-test scores, educators and policymakers nationwide are closely watching these Read more about Going Beyond Academics in Assessing School Effectiveness[…]
The University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) has released an updated version of the Principal Support Framework. Representing the best thinking of educators from across the country, the framework describes key actions of central offices that effectively support principals as instructional leaders. School system leaders can use this framework and the related self-assessment Read more about Principal Support Framework[…]
The new Every Student Succeeds Act returns to the states much of the authority for directing school improvement that the federal government had assumed in the past 15 years. Some states are ready to roll, but plenty are searching for potential role models. Fortunately, at least two such candidates are easy to find. Earlier this Read more about A Tale of 2 States: Lessons to Be Learned[…]
Dozens of schools around the U.S. are opting to ditch the traditional school structure altogether to motivate teens in new ways–and it seems to be working. They are using the Big Picture Learning model. Big Picture’s model is now used in more than 60 schools across the U.S. In Vermont, it’s also a precursor to a Read more about When Students Create their own Curriculum: The Big Picture Learning Model[…]
Recently, Tom Vander Ark from Getting Smart published an insightful to-do list for education leaders. Vander Ark states, “Being an education leader is complicated and challenging. The politics are personal and multilayered. It can be the best and worst job in the world at the same time. But there is no role where an individual Read more about 7 Things Education Leaders Should Do Right Now[…]
Discovery Education, a leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, invites superintendents and curriculum leaders to attend a unique new series of professional learning events exploring critical topics in education leadership. This series, which launches on January 28 in Hershey, PA, will explore critical topics in education including equity, personalized learning, Read more about Free Instructional Leadership Series from Discovery Education[…]
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has released new standards that provide a clear, practical definition of what the supervisors of school principals should know and be able to do to improve the effectiveness of principals. With support from The Wallace Foundation, a team of educators from across the nation has spent more Read more about Principal Supervisor Professional Standards[…]