The Schools of Character program has provided hundreds of schools with a framework and professional feedback that has improved their school culture and climate. In a more supportive environment, students thrive and schools see increased academic achievement and decreased behavioral issues. Every school can and should become a school of character. Apply to join the Read more about The 2016 Schools of Character application is now open![…]
The Center for Public Education has released the second in a pair of reports focused on high school students who do not continue their formal education after graduation and factors that contribute to positive outcomes and future success. A rigorous high school program boosts the chances of success for both college goers and students who Read more about High School Rigor Matters to Students Who Don’t Attend College, CPE Study Finds[…]
George Washington University, a private university with just over 10,000 undergraduate students, has recently announced that they will become a test (SAT/ACT) optional college for admissions. Other colleges have been test-optional for decades, but not many with the high profile or number of students like George Washington. Other test-optional colleges have relied their ability to Read more about Is This The Beginning Of The End For The SAT And ACT?[…]
More and more states, communities, school districts, colleges and universities are focused on helping students get to and through college. Increasingly we understand that to have the strongest impact, K-12 and higher education must work together. Greater alignment and shared ownership of college readiness and success can lead to more students ready for and succeeding Read more about K-12/Higher Ed Alignment[…]
In what seems to be an increasing (and welcome!) trend, Harvard economist Dr. Roland G. Fryer Jr. has been attempting to translate his empirical research into results for schools. Dr. Fryer won the prestigious John Bates Clark medal this year in part for his research on 39 New York City charter schools. He hoped to Read more about What Makes a School Successful?[…]
On Education Week‘s Top Performers blog, Marc Tucker explores what it takes to achieve dramatic improvement in education systems. Tucker writes: The nations with the best-performing education systems have two things in common that have nothing to do with the specific education policies and practices they have embraced. The first has to do with the Read more about Dramatic Improvement in Education Systems: What It Takes[…]
NewSchools Venture Fund has announced the launch NewSchools Catapult, the first endeavor of its new national strategy. Its goal over the next several years is to propel successive waves of education entrepreneurs to launch new schools – the kinds of audacious, life-altering schools that can truly prepare students to pursue their most ambitious dreams. The Read more about NewSchools Venture Fund Launches NewSchools Catapult[…]
The Wallace Foundation has released seven short videos featuring six school district superintendents talking about key innovations to emerge from a major national initiative to develop larger numbers of highly effective principals – and one video that offers advice to other superintendents who might want to build their own strong principal pipelines. The two-minute videos Read more about New Videos Feature Innovative Efforts to Build Strong Principal Pipelines[…]
One of education’s big problems is that the collective wisdom, insights, observations and experience of educators are pretty much squandered. That is to say, millions of educators have figured out important things about what and how to teach under different kinds of conditions — but no system exists for them to contribute their bit of Read more about Using the Wisdom of Educators[…]
Amid growing recognition that strong academic skills alone are not enough for young people to become successful adults, a new comprehensive report offers wide-ranging evidence to show what young people need to develop from preschool to young adulthood to succeed in college and career, have healthy relationships, be engaged citizens and make wise choices. It Read more about Report Offers Comprehensive Look at What Students Need to Succeed As Adults[…]
In a newly released survey of the 2015 State Teachers of the Year (STOY), this new class of accomplished teachers shared their views on topics affecting educators across the country. Forty-six of the 56 STOYs responded to Scholastic’s online survey, and while this is not a nationally representative sample of teachers, it is an Read more about Scholastic Survey of the 2015 State Teachers of the Year[…]
With all of the recent focus on college and career-readiness, some educators are feeling that they are being diverted away from fostering social and emotional learning in students. The fact is, however, social and emotional learning, or SEL, is critical for student success in the 21st century. In this month’s issue brief, we explore various Read more about June Issue Brief: Social and Emotional Learning[…]
Steven Hodas of the Center on Reinventing Public Education recently wrote a report describing the crucial role of what he called “DOS,” short for District Operating System. Hodas defines DOS as “a set of unsexy, below-the-radar functions like procurement, contracting, IT, and HR that determine the look and feel of what schools do. It also Read more about Retooling the District Operating System for Dynamism[…]
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) released a new tool to help middle and high schools meet their students’ most critical needs. The 2015 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs–Middle and High School Edition provides a framework for examining social and emotional learning (SEL) programs used in secondary schools and Read more about Rating of Social and Emotional Learning Programs for Middle and High Schools[…]
A new report by the education reform organization Achieve finds large “honesty gaps” between state-reported proficiency rates in math and reading compared to those on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is also known as the Nation’s Report Card. The report, Proficient vs. Prepared: Disparities Between State Tests and the 2013 National Assessment Read more about Achieve Report Highlights “Honesty Gaps” in More than Half of States’ Student Proficiency Ratings[…]
Three new toolkits from the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Program are designed to help educators and leaders use data and evaluate programs and policies: Logic models for program design, implementation, and evaluation: Workshop toolkit This Logic Model Workshop Toolkit from REL Northeast & Islands helps state and district leaders design, implement, and evaluate programs and Read more about Three New REL Toolkits Help Educators Understand Logic Models, Establish a Culture of Data Use, and Evaluate Instruction with Classroom Data[…]