Recently, The Hechinger Report published an article that reviewed research showing that data analysis has not significantly improved student outcomes since the No Child Left Behind Act ramped up national data collection. Data — even high quality data— is of no value if it isn’t used effectively. In a response piece, Chris Minnich explains that Read more about Data matters, but only if it leads to effective teaching action[…]
Writing for the Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay surveyed the difficulties in providing data to teachers and expecting instructional improvement. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Teachers are spending a lot of time talking about student data. In a 2016 survey by Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, 94 percent of middle school math teachers said Read more about PROOF POINTS: Researchers blast data analysis for teachers to help students[…]
Writing for the Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay reviews new research that finds what teachers were saying throughout the pandemic – it is madness to teach students in the classroom and those joining by computer simultaneously. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Although educators are trying to keep schools open during the pandemic, they still have Read more about PROOF POINTS: Combining remote and in-person learning led to chaos, study finds[…]
A new piece from ASCD highlights a “pernicious dynamic” that is emerging from the pandemic: a loss of teachers’ professional efficacy. Highlights of the piece appear below: Amid the mix of emotions stirred in teachers by the sudden shift to online learning was a profound sense of helplessness (Bintliff, 2020). Feeling powerless dampens teachers’ sense Read more about Restoring Teachers’ Efficacy[…]
Recently in The 74, Kevin Mahnken reviewed a study out of Tennessee that shows that classroom observations, utilized for teacher effectiveness determinations, show evidence of racial and gender bias against male and Black teachers. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Significant bias has contributed to lower classroom observation scores for thousands of teachers in Tennessee Read more about Classroom Observations Biased Against Male, Black Teachers, Research Suggests[…]
For years, researchers have found teacher professional development programs to be largely ineffective. But a new and growing body of research suggests that professional learning, done well, can both increase teacher morale and raise student outcomes. This means it is: Grounded in the content and curriculum of the teachers receiving it; Dependent on the expertise Read more about Teacher Professional Development Is in a Rut, but Better Research Can Help[…]
Recently, Turnaround for Children released a toolkit for elevating student voice by co-creating classroom community. The toolkit includes the following resources: Educator Reflection: Personal and Community Values The purpose of this tool is for educators to reflect on how their own values (shaped by their identity, culture, and experiences) show up in their classroom and Read more about How to Co-Create Classroom Culture with Students[…]
In partnership with the Barr Foundation, the Center on Reinventing Public Education conducted longitudinal interviews with ten teachers and seven parents across four school systems in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, and Massachusetts between January and June of 2021. The interviews expose how ill-equipped New England schools were to address adolescent well-being during the pandemic. Specifically, Read more about COVID–19 Showed Us How Important It Is to Focus on Adolescent Well-Being: Here Is What School Systems Should Do[…]
Recently in The 74, Emily Murphy wrote an opinion piece on the importance of the teacher that touched my heart. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Our country spends billions of dollars every year to fix education. This often involves seeking the next shiny object as a silver bullet — a fancy tool, a clever Read more about An Educator’s View: Redefining the Teacher’s Role[…]
Teachers have long been identified as the number one in-school factor that influences student outcomes. Conversely, teacher turnover is correlated with lower student outcomes and contributes to school cultures where churn and instability prevent positive change from taking root. How to retain teachers, and especially teachers of color, has emerged as a key area of Read more about November Issue Brief: Teacher Retention[…]
Recruiting a diverse staff and building a “family-like” school culture are among the key action steps more than 100 Black educators recommend school leaders follow in a recent report released by Teach Plus and the Center for Black Educator Development. The paper presented the findings of focus groups conducted during the spring and summer of Read more about How to Build Culturally Affirming Schools, According to Over 100 Black Teachers[…]
In recent years, federal education programs and policies have increasingly focused on teacher quality as a means for closing achievement gaps, in part by directing states to measure teacher qualifications and performance and to promote equitable access to qualified and effective teachers among schools within a district. A new report by Andrew Wayne, Courtney Tanenbaum, Read more about State Efforts to Promote Equitable Access to Effective Teachers[…]
Recently, AIR published a report from Keri Ingraham, fellow at Discovery Institute, focused on the possibility of using adjunct teachers for K-12 classrooms for limited roles. Excerpts from this intriguing piece appear below: Trends in higher education tend to trickle down to K–12 schools over time. In the K–12 setting, adjunct teachers could be hired Read more about Rethinking Teacher Certification to Employ K-12 Adjunct Teachers[…]
The District of Columbia Public Schools is well-known for its comprehensive teacher-evaluation and performance-based compensation systems. But an equally important component of the district’s work to strengthen its teaching workforce has been a systematic, data-driven approach to hiring the strongest candidates in the first place. Known as TeachDC, the system employs a multi-step process for Read more about Right From the Start: D.C.’s Groundbreaking Teacher Hiring Strategy[…]
There is no doubt that teachers exert an incredible influence on students and their learning. But what if teachers hold the key to school and district-wide reform as well? In Core Education’s September Issue Brief, we explore the many ways schools and districts are offering exceptional teachers opportunities to share their knowledge and extend their Read more about September Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership[…]
The National Council on Teacher Quality recently released a report by Patricia Saenz-Armstrong comparing the salary trajectories of teachers in 90 large school districts across the country. Excerpts from the piece appear below: “Teacher pay is low.” It has been said hundreds of thousands of times before. The search term “teacher pay is low” produces Read more about Smart Money 2.0[…]