With pilot tests being conducted and debates raging over Common Core-aligned assessments, new changes proposed for the SAT, and emerging plans for new science assessments, the landscape of educational assessments is changing rapidly. In this month’s issue brief, we have assembled summary information and links that will keep you on the cutting edge. What are Read more about April Issue Brief: The Changing Assessment Landscape[…]
Secretary Duncan announced that, over the next year, he and NBPTS President Ron Thorpe will co-convene a new initiative, Teach to Lead, to foster ambitious commitments on authentic opportunities for teachers to take up leadership roles without leaving the classroom. The goal is to ensure that when important decisions are being made about the work Read more about Teach to Lead[…]
New studies of textbooks calling themselves “Common Core Aligned” suggest that schools and teachers should remember that a “buyer beware” policy is essential when it comes to purchasing quality textbooks. William Schmidt, a professor of statistics and education at Michigan State University in East Lansing and head of a research team that recently analyzed about Read more about Researchers Question Common Core Claims from Publishers[…]
Students, particularly low-income students, aren’t really thinking about college rankings when choosing higher education options, according to a new brief released by the American Council on Education. The study comes as the Obama administration works on its highly anticipated college rating system, which ACE says will become a de facto ranking system. Fewer than 25 Read more about Do College Rankings Matter to Students?[…]
Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems is the latest policy brief from NASSP and NAESP. It is the product of two months of work from a committee of elementary, middle level, and high school principals from the across the country who are all experiencing different challenges and opportunities in conducting classroom observations, mentoring and Read more about Supporting Principals in Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]
More than 1 million students across 14 states and D.C. have been trying out almost 10,000 test items as the group deploys its pilot exams. During a call with reporters, PARCC officials pushed the same idea as Smarter Balanced and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have done in recent days: Glitches are expected and welcome. Massachusetts Read more about Pilot Testing for Common Core Underway[…]
IES has recently released its Projections of Education Statistics to 2022. This edition of the report provides projections for key education statistics, including enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in elementary and secondary public and private schools, as well as enrollment and degrees conferred at postsecondary degree-granting institutions. Included are national data on enrollment and graduates Read more about NCES releases “Projections of Education Statistics to 2022”[…]
P-Tech schools, short for Pathways in Technology Early College High School, are the hottest new education commodity, especially in urban areas with progressive political leadership. They essentially are STEM focused public high schools at which students will spend four years, gain a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, receive curriculum and leadership from a Read more about At P-Tech Schools, get a Diploma and a Job[…]
Last week, the College Board, under the leadership of David Coleman, announced upcoming (Spring 2016) wholesale changes to the format of the SAT, one of the two most common tests needed for students to gain college acceptance. For a few years now, officially every college that accepts the SAT also accepts the ACT, the main Read more about Changes Coming to the SAT[…]
In a new primary sources survey, 20,000 teachers provide powerful insights on teaching in an era of change. The verdict is: teachers want their voices heard in order to offer direction on student success, Common Core implementation, teacher evaluation, and parental support. Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released results from the comprehensive Read more about Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on Teaching in an Era of Change[…]
A high school diploma is no longer the ticket to the middle class that it used to be. To earn a family-sustaining income and enjoy opportunities for career advancement at a time of rapid change, some kind of postsecondary education – whether at four-year institutions, community colleges or training programs – is nearly a necessity. Read more about Defining College and Career Readiness[…]
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders has a running, “Ask the Team” series of briefs in which they dilute detailed research into concise and readable form. Three briefs released recently focus on performance-based compensation, tiered licensure, and alternate certification. Performance-Based Compensation: Linking Performance to Teacher Salaries This Ask the Team brief provides current policy Read more about Three New Policy Briefs from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders[…]
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. What essential skills should principals master in order to be exceptional instructional Read more about February Issue Brief: Principalship[…]
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new online resource, PROGRESS, to highlight state and local innovative ideas, promising practices, lessons learned, and resources informed by the implementation of K-12 education reforms. These stories will showcase the exciting transformations taking place in classrooms, schools, and systems across the country through the leadership of teachers, Read more about ED Blog Spotlights Current Education Transformations[…]
EdNext Editor-in-Chief Paul E. Peterson penned a recent op-ed in favor of the Common Core State Standards. Peterson highlighted a curious result of an EdNext survey of Americans, in which only 21% of those surveyed gave American schools an “A” or “B” but 49% of those surveyed gave their own schools an “A” or “B”. Read more about Comparing school success creates impetus for reform[…]
A new report released by CompetencyWorks, titled Progress and Proficiency: Redesigning Grading for Competency Education, helps education leaders think through how to design grading policies that communicate academic performance to students and parents. As more schools and districts begin to develop competency-based pathways that allow students to progress based on demonstrated mastery of content knowledge Read more about Progress and Proficiency: Redesigning Grading for Competency Education[…]