From tinkering to transformation: Strengthening school district central office performance

Posted on July 26, 2013 by coreeducation

Meredith I. Honig at AEI Education has penned a new report urging reform of school district central offices. Honig sees these offices as good candidates to lead schools to higher rates of student progress, but because these central offices have traditionally focused on issues of business and compliance, they are not making the grade when Read more about From tinkering to transformation: Strengthening school district central office performance[…]

Montgomery County (MD) Measuring ‘Hope’ to Help Improve Academic Success

Posted on July 25, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Montgomery County Public Schools, MD, will greet its students this fall with a survey that asks them questions, not about academics, but about “hope, engagement and well-being.” MCPS is teaming up with Gallup, the polling giant, to conduct this survey, which they also conducted last year. For three years of work that includes working with Read more about Montgomery County (MD) Measuring ‘Hope’ to Help Improve Academic Success[…]

Governing American Education: Marc Tucker’s Opus

Posted on July 24, 2013 by coreeducation

Marc Tucker, of the National Center on Education and the Economy, was recently commissioned by the Center for American Progress to write a report in which he would outline his plans for education reform in the United States. Tucker, a veteran voice in American education debates, has long studied the similarities and differences between the Read more about Governing American Education: Marc Tucker’s Opus[…]

From Chalkboards to Tablets: The Speak Up 2012 Report

Posted on July 23, 2013July 23, 2013 by coreeducation

“The results being released today show that we are indeed in a new world. And we as adults need to learn from kids in this instance. We need to learn from students about how they learn, where they learn, and how they seek information. I believe we must harness this information to give all students Read more about From Chalkboards to Tablets: The Speak Up 2012 Report[…]

EQuIP: Educators Evaluating CCSS Resources

Posted on July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 by coreeducation

One of the many opportunities provided by the transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the chance to develop high quality instructional materials for teachers and schools that are aligned to the rigor and college- and career-ready expectations found in the standards. At the same time, determining how aligned and effective instructional materials Read more about EQuIP: Educators Evaluating CCSS Resources[…]

Fordham Evaluates the Next Generation Science Standards

Posted on July 18, 2013 by coreeducation

As the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve have recently released the final version of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has completed its review of the new standards and given them a C. While this may certainly Read more about Fordham Evaluates the Next Generation Science Standards[…]

A Roadmap for Education Reform: Milwaukee as a Model

Posted on July 16, 2013October 13, 2022 by coreeducation

Well-meaning education reformers are too often content to layer their new proposals atop outdated schools and systems. Unsurprisingly, school improvement efforts have repeatedly failed to deliver the results we had hoped for. Doing radically better will require state, civic, and system leaders to embrace a more coherent and comprehensive push to overhaul antiquated structures, regulations, Read more about A Roadmap for Education Reform: Milwaukee as a Model[…]

The SEA of the Future: Leveraging Performance Management

Posted on July 15, 2013December 31, 2015 by coreeducation

State Education Agencies (or SEAs) are a crucial element in translating policy to schools. A new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, in coordination with the Building State Capacity and Productivity Center, “The SEA of the Future“, urges state education agencies to use performance management to support school improvement. Authors Paul Hill, Patrick Read more about The SEA of the Future: Leveraging Performance Management[…]

10 Steps for Integrating Teacher Effectiveness Systems and the Common Core

Posted on July 14, 2013 by coreeducation

To strengthen state implementation of Common Core State Standards and meaningful teacher evaluations, the Aspen Institute and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a set of recommendations for forging coherence across these efforts at CCSSO’s Implementing the Common Core Standards (ICCS) meeting of 22 states in New Orleans. “Teaching to the Core: Read more about 10 Steps for Integrating Teacher Effectiveness Systems and the Common Core[…]

When Charter Schools aren’t Given Real Autonomy

Posted on July 13, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

An example of the ongoing battle in some states about how much autonomy should be given to Charter Schools recently occurred in Maryland. The soon to be opened Frederick Classical Charter School (FCCS) hoped to hire 9 new teachers that fit its model of classical education. In Maryland, however, the local school system is the Read more about When Charter Schools aren’t Given Real Autonomy[…]

Obama touts ConnectED Initiative to Bring High Speed Internet to Schools

Posted on July 9, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

The goal of ConnectEd: connect 99% of America’s public schools to high speed Internet in 5 years. The Obama administration hopes that accomplishing this feat will enable schools and teachers to take advantage of educational technology and software that will allow for more rapid evaluation of student progress. Furthermore, the administration’s plan, based on elements Read more about Obama touts ConnectED Initiative to Bring High Speed Internet to Schools[…]

What role will teacher-voice groups play?

Posted on July 8, 2013 by coreeducation

A new report by Kaitlin Pennington of the Center for American Progress highlights the increase of teacher-voice groups. These groups allow teachers to continue teaching while also having a chance to impact education policy more directly. Furthermore, they provide current teachers with more active leadership positions. In addition, these groups allow for a greater multiplicity Read more about What role will teacher-voice groups play?[…]

Conservative support for Common Core

Posted on July 7, 2013 by coreeducation

While criticism of the Common Core State Standards has largely come from expected conservative sources, such as the Republican National Committee, which this blog discussed here, other conservative voices have spoken up in support of Common Core. In an opinion piece, entitled “GOP fear of Common Core education standards unfounded”, in The Washington Post that Read more about Conservative support for Common Core[…]

[Blue] Engine for Growth

Posted on July 5, 2013 by coreeducation

While models such as Teach for America have taken some flack in recent years for their lack of adequate preparation and lack of a long term model, no one disagrees with the goal of the program: to help struggling students in struggling schools, usually urban ones, find greater academic success. The Blue Engine Program, which Read more about [Blue] Engine for Growth[…]

Caution on Next Generation Science Standards

Posted on June 16, 2013 by coreeducation

A new set of science standards to complement the Common Core has been touted as crucial reform to a crucial subject, but the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has recently urged states considering the “Next Generation Science Standards” to “exercise caution and patience.” Chester Finn and Kathleen Porter-Magee at the Common Core Watch, part of the Read more about Caution on Next Generation Science Standards[…]

5 Tips for Principals to Put New Teachers on the Right Path

Posted on June 13, 2013 by coreeducation

This tipsheet is a complement to TNTP’s latest report, Leap Year: Assessing and Supporting Effective First-Year Teachers, which shares what TNTP learned after radically evolving the way they train and evaluate new teachers. It is based on a simple idea: The first year is the most important year of a teacher’s career—a critical window of Read more about 5 Tips for Principals to Put New Teachers on the Right Path[…]