In “Mind the Gap: The Case for Re-Imagining the Way States Judge High School Quality”, Chad Aldeman argues that new, more multidimensional ways of judging high school quality are essential. Current state and federal policies on high schools tend to reward schools that perform well on measures like test scores and graduation rates while forcing Read more about High School Accountability Systems[…]
A recent response to the Nation’s Report Card results by the Obama Administration calls for a reduction of redundant tests, in order to improve the nation’s scores in reading and mathematics. Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, believes that this action is “an unfortunate and tragically oversimplified response to the challenges facing our Read more about Opinion: Schools need to Improve, not Tests[…]
Public Impact’s newest, five-step, free toolkit, “Evaluation, Accountability, and Professional Development in an Opportunity Culture: A Practical Guide”, gives schools, districts, and states what they need to create an evaluation system that helps teachers improve and advance their careers while helping more students. An accompanying State Policy Brief helps policymakers and teaching advocates change laws Read more about Evaluation, Accountability, and PD in an Opportunity Culture[…]
Well-known Stanford education reformer Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond has recently launched a new think tank to help reform American education, with a focus on deeper learning to equip students for the 21st century economy. The Learning Policy Institute has the backing of many large donors and has other notable education leaders on board, including Dr. Henry Read more about Darling-Hammond Launches New Research Think Tank[…]
As we continue to go forward with no ESEA re-authorization to replace No Child Left Behind and as states continue to make the news for their gripes with Common Core, Bellwether Education has a new plan to bring more bi-partisan support to education reform. They call it “Pacts Americana.” This project and report re-envisions federal Read more about Pacts Americana from Bellwether Education[…]
It is hard to tell if states are doing anything about poor teacher education programs, since many are not evaluating them like they are required to do. Even the federal government’s watchdog arm seems a bit stumped by the absence of performance information on teaching programs. At least seven states are not complying with a Read more about GAO Finds Teacher Prep Oversight Lacking[…]
This blog has written previously about the much-touted edTPA teacher licensing exam, which promises to serve as a “bar exam” for teachers. The goal of this performance assessment is to set the bar higher for teacher certification and to be able to provide accountability across state lines and among teacher certification programs and schools. However, Read more about States Set Varying Passing Bars on New Teaching Exam[…]
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[…]
The Noyce Foundation supports major research and development efforts by quality national organizations to create new models for the recruitment, compensation, development, evaluation, and accountability of school principals and teachers as well as district and other leaders. The collection of R&D efforts includes resources from Education Resource Strategies, New Leaders, New Visions for Public Schools, Read more about Human Capital Resources for Schools and Districts[…]
On Thursday, April 2, 2015 from 3 to 4 pm Eastern Time, Education Week will be offering a free webinar titled Auditing Teacher-Preparation Program Quality: Challenges and Opportunities. Are states doing enough to ensure that all teacher-candidates graduate from their teacher-preparation programs ready to enter the classroom? In this webinar, an Education Week reporter will Read more about Free Webinar: Auditing Teacher Prep Program Quality[…]
Studies have shown that new teacher evaluation systems are being implemented at record rates, but questions remain about how best to implement those systems. In collaboration with the Northeast Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance and the New Hampshire Department of Education, REL Northeast and Islands examined the implementation of new district teacher evaluation systems in the Read more about Five Factors that Affect Implementation of New Teacher Evaluation Systems[…]
Achieve’s ninth annual “Closing the Expectations Gap” report, released recently, shows the progress that states have made in advancing college and career readiness while also revealing that much work remains to be done to ensure that all students are academically prepared to succeed in college and careers after high school. “States have made some progress Read more about Achieve’s Report Details States’ Progress in Advancing College and Career Readiness[…]
A new report from the OECD offers a detailed look at 450 education reforms adopted across OECD countries between 2008 and 2014. The (OECD) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s mission is to “promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.” Of those 450 education reforms, 16 percent Read more about A Global Look at Education Reform[…]
As employers and postsecondary institutions increasingly demand students and workers equipped with high-level skills, many states are exploring performance assessments as part of their K-12 education strategies. Unlike multiple-choice tests, these assessments require students to construct answers, produce products, or perform activities; they allow educators to assess student performance meaningfully and foster deeper Read more about Performance Assessments: How State Policy Can Advance Assessments for 21st Century Learning[…]
In a new report, Skills for Success: Supporting and Assessing Key Habits, Mindsets, and Skills in PreK-12, Melissa Tooley and Laura Bornfreund highlight trends and raise important considerations for schools supporting and assessing a more comprehensive set of student “skills for success” and explore how assessments of these skills could be used to inform school Read more about Supporting and Assessing Key Habits, Mindsets, and Skills in PreK-12[…]
What students want: great teachers every year What teachers want: career advancement while teaching, collaboration, on-the-job development and leadership, sustainably funded pay increases, and the chance to help more students succeed What both need: Policies to make a statewide Opportunity Culture possible Public Impact shows states the essential policies to reach far more students with gap-closing, Read more about Seizing Opportunity at the Top II[…]