Education stimulus funds largely met the goal of saving or creating jobs for K-12 teachers and other education personnel, according to a summary of three years of survey research by the Center on Education Policy at the George Washington University (CEP). However, ongoing state budget shortfalls have slowed state implementation of education reforms tied to Read more about Stimulus Funds Saved Education Jobs, Encouraged Common Core[…]
As school districts across the nation struggle with demands to do more with less, it is increasingly imperative that they adopt a “value-based” approach to budgeting and decision making for K-12 education, according to The Boston Consulting Group. In this report entitled Achieving More for Less in U.S. Education with a Value-Based Approach, experts in Read more about Achieving More for Less in U.S. Education with a Value-Based Approach[…]
On May 30, the Fordham Institute released a new report evaluating the potential cost of implementing the Common Core, the first in a wave of such evaluations. This report addresses three key questions: What are the short-term costs of moving to the Common Core? In other words, what will be the initial expenses (instructional materials, Read more about Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core[…]
While the economy may be showing signs of life, local school districts nationwide continue to struggle mightily. The “new normal” of tougher budget times is here to stay for American K-12 education. So how can local officials cope? This Fordham Institute released a policy brief earlier this month, authored by Executive VP of the Institute, Read more about The “New Normal”[…]
In the spring of 2011, Pittsburgh Public Schools selected its first 38 recruits for a new teacher residency program. Nearly 1,000 candidates had applied for the year-long program, which included active teaching service combined with mentoring, professional certification, and a salary of $39,000—in return for a commitment to teach in the Pittsburgh public school system Read more about Behind the Collapse of a Teacher Residency Program[…]
Last week, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosted Senator Michael Bennet (Colorado), Frederick M. Hess, and others to discuss research and development in K-12 education. Senator Bennet has released a proposal for a new R&D project, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED), which was the main focus of the event. “If we don’t Read more about Turbocharging Education R&D[…]
The US Department of Education requested its FY2013 budget earlier this month; the key themes for funding are increasing college affordability/quality, “raising up” the teaching profession, aligning job training with workforce demands, and continuing reform. The request includes proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies for the next ten years, but specifically asks for Read more about Proposed U.S. Department of Education FY 2013 Budget[…]
In a recent article for The Hechinger Report, classroom teacher Eric Shieh reflects on his experiences working with his union to fight budget cuts in his district. As a music teacher in St. Louis, he was appalled by the district’s decision in 2007 to cut student time in the arts by 64% at the middle Read more about Shut Up and Teach?[…]
To serve the dual purpose of encouraging students to achieve more, and save money in education budgets, states are beginning to push students to graduate early from high school through “ramped up” curricula and college scholarship programs. It is anticipated that such policies, which emphasize proficiency rather than seat time, will allow students ready to Read more about States Prodding Students to Graduate Early[…]
A new paper from the Center for American Progress takes a look at the increasingly talked about “wraparound services” for children in low-income communities, and the connections to teacher efficiency. Wraparound services generally refer to non-classroom services such as health care, family involvement programs, and food assistance. There is research on the potential benefits Read more about Lightening the Load: How Community Schools Can Support Effective Teaching[…]
The final budget for the Department of Education was finalized late last month, which will take the agency through September 30, 2012. Overall, the Department’s funding was cut by about $153 million over last fiscal year (total funding $71.3 billion), but President Obama was able to fend off the complete annihilation of programs such as Read more about Education and the FY 2012 Budget[…]
Last Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved by a 16-14 vote a bill that keeps education stagnant in the next fiscal year. Unsurprisingly, the 16-14 vote fell along party lines, with Democrats being in favor and Republicans opposed. The bill aims to reverse some of the cuts made to K-12 education in the current fiscal Read more about Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Proposed FY 2012 Education Budget[…]
As the economy continues to falter, many school districts have been faced with staffing challenges. Teacher and staff layoffs abound, but in some cases a round of layoffs is followed by another practice: last-minute hiring. To some degree, late hiring can be considered an inevitability for schools. Administrators don’t always know for sure how many Read more about Last-Minute Teacher Hiring Produces Long-Lasting Effects[…]
In a Higher Ed Watch article last week, Jon Oberg discussed the recent recommendations from the American Educational Research Association on how to fix the problems with the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA). ESRA, originally signed into law in 2002, is three years overdue for reauthorization, and much of this has to do with infighting Read more about A Better Prescription for Fixing Federal Higher Education Research[…]
In a recent Education Week article, Stephen Sawchuk turns to teacher residency programs. These programs apprentice teacher-candidates to a mentor teacher in a high-need school for one year. Funded in part by the USDE’s Teacher Quality Partnership grants, residents receive stipends for their on-the-job training and take coursework concurrently. The goal is to better align Read more about Teacher Residency Programs: Successes and Barriers[…]
In its latest report, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) addresses eligible applicants of Round 3 of the Race to the Top (taking place this fall), and other states seeking to most effectively invest their time and resources in implementing revised teacher development and evaluation tools. Their investment suggestions fall into five categories: 1. Tools and Read more about Smart Spending for Better Teacher Evaluations[…]