Writing for the Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay reviews a Chicago analysis that finds that schools that foster social-emotional development get better results for students. Excerpts of the piece appear below: We hear the phrase “failing schools” a lot but what really defines a failing school? Generally, we look at test scores. Schools that aren’t getting Read more about Boosting Soft Skills is Better than Raising Test Scores[…]
Writing for The 74, Brenda Tanner, a former school administrator and superintendent, explores the promise of gathering valuable information from teachers through customized surveys in order to improve retention. Excerpts from her piece appear below: District leaders have little access to the authentic, unvarnished perspectives that determine whether a teacher leaves or stays. This is Read more about Is Listening the Antidote to Teacher Turnover? Research Shows It Could Be[…]
Over the last year, Education Evolving published a series of blog posts focused on the growing problem of teacher turnover, and uplifting the stories of schools, strategies, programs, and leaders that buck the trend. This series has now wrapped up. Check out some of the top posts: Why Teachers Leave: What the Data Say How Read more about Retaining Teachers: Fostering Conditions Where Talent Thrives[…]
Writing for the Clayton Christensen Institute, Thomas Arnett recently detailed a vision for the redesign of the role of the teacher. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Given the overflowing demands on teachers’ time, we need to reinvent the classroom and the roles of teachers so that teachers can tackle the meaningful and important work Read more about Four Principles for Designing the Future of Teaching in 2020[…]
What happens when teachers start using science of learning principles? A new, rigorous study suggests some very powerful outcomes for students. A group of researchers have been exploring the question of what happens when teachers get professional development based on the science of learning. Their latest research article explores the effectiveness of two approaches to Read more about The Power of The Science of Learning in Action[…]
A recent article by Michael Horn of the Christensen Institute reviews the problem with teachers being both evaluators and facilitators of student learning. Excerpts from the piece appear below: In her bestselling book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Stanford professor Carol Dweck wrote, “When teachers are judging [students], [they] will sabotage the teacher by Read more about Time to Help Teachers Be Advocates for Students, Not Their Judge and Jury[…]
Research on instructional coaching shows that when defined, understood, and implemented as a principal-coach-teacher partnership, teacher coaching programs can be more effective. Engaged principals are key to a successful coaching program. Digital Promise has recently conducted research on the Dynamic Learning Project (DLP) coaching program that shows that when principals support the coach-teacher relationship and Read more about The Role of the School Administrator in Classroom Coaching[…]
All 2019 Wonkathon submissions are in. This year’s Wonkathon asked contributors to address a fundamental and challenging question: What’s the best way to help students who are several grade levels behind? Fordham’s Flypaper received nineteen submissions from policy experts and education practitioners. As expected, there was a wide range of solutions offered, and no two Read more about How to Help Students who are Several Grade Levels Behind[…]
Addressing shortages in a state’s teacher labor market can present unique challenges and requires access to comprehensive data and an understanding of available policy levers. To support informed policy, the Education Commission of the States has compiled a national comparison of state policies related to teacher recruitment and retention, with a focus on shortages in Read more about 50-State Comparison: Teacher Recruitment and Retention[…]
Recently on the Education Gadfly show, Dan Goldhaber, the director of CALDER, joined Mike Petrilli, David Griffith, and Amber Northern to discuss what rigorous research says about identifying, developing, and retaining effective teachers. The discussion focused on three main questions: Are there any indicators that can help us to predict which teaching candidates will be Read more about Everything we Know about Effective Teachers[…]
How do we best educate our children so that they learn better, and learn how to learn, in addition to learning what to learn? How do we translate this body of research into classroom practice effectively? The Learning Agency Lab has released six powerful videos from their “Science of Learning: Research Meets Practice” project. With Read more about Research on the Science of Learning[…]
The GTL Center’s Mentoring and Induction Toolkit is a ready-to-use resource for states working closely with districts to build strong mentoring and induction programs. The purpose of the GTL Center’s Mentoring and Induction Toolkit is to give regional comprehensive centers (RCCs) and state education agencies (SEAs) tools, resources, and support to facilitate meaningful conversations with Read more about Mentoring & Induction Resources from the Center on Great Teachers & Leaders[…]
Scientists know a lot about effective learning and teaching. In the past several decades, cognitive psychologists and other learning researchers have performed thousands of studies on effective learning and teaching practices. In some cases, research findings have gone against conventional wisdom or common practice. For example, varied practice (in terms of the variety of problems Read more about What Do Teachers Know About The Science of Learning?[…]
In Where Teachers Thrive, Susan Moore Johnson outlines a powerful argument about the importance of the school as an organization in nurturing high-quality teaching. Based on case studies conducted in fourteen high-poverty, urban schools, the book examines why some schools failed to make progress, while others achieved remarkable results. It explores the challenges that administrators Read more about What Makes Teachers Thrive?[…]
Healthy educators are more productive, less likely to be absent, and better equipped to support student development when they themselves are mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally well. By creating opportunities and infrastructure for employee wellness programs, state boards of education and other policymakers can foster the physical and emotional well-being of teachers and school leaders. Read more about Supporting Educators through Employee Wellness Initiatives[…]
FutureEd has published a piece about how changes to curriculum and instruction in DC have made a difference: During five and a half years as chief of teaching and learning at the District of Columbia Public Schools, Brian Pick led one of the nation’s most comprehensive—and successful—overhauls of a school district instructional system. Pick introduced Read more about DC Public Schools release scores showing four years of steady gains[…]