For School Improvement, Demographics Aren’t Destiny

Posted on November 1, 2017March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Karin Chenoweth of Education Week recently wrote about lessons learned from schools with “unexpected” success. Excerpts of the article appear below: Educators in unexpected schools change the fundamental way schools have traditionally been organized. Back in 2000, Harvard researcher Richard Elmore argued that because teaching has primarily been an isolated, autonomous, and idiosyncratic practice, school Read more about For School Improvement, Demographics Aren’t Destiny[…]

Three States Tried Micro-Credentials for Teachers: What they Learned

Posted on October 3, 2017September 30, 2017 by coreeducation

As state education agencies acknowledge, promote, and support the importance of professional development, they continue to search for effective professional learning opportunities for teachers. Micro-credentials—among the newer professional development methods—allow teachers to learn and demonstrate competency in bite-sized elements of instruction. Each micro-credential addresses a discrete set of educational practices. Educators can then weave these Read more about Three States Tried Micro-Credentials for Teachers: What they Learned[…]

Teacher Professional Development Can Improve Student Achievement

Posted on July 10, 2017June 25, 2017 by coreeducation

A study released from the Learning Policy Institute demonstrates how well-designed teacher professional development programs significantly improve student achievement, challenging the logic behind the Administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for those programs. The new report, “Effective Teacher Professional Development,” reviewed 35 scientifically rigorous studies conducted over the past 30 years which showed significant gains in Read more about Teacher Professional Development Can Improve Student Achievement[…]

Good to Great Study Series: “Investing in What it Takes to Move from Good to Great”

Posted on June 5, 2017June 2, 2017 by coreeducation

The Center on Great Teachers & Leaders (GTL Center) is out with the third report in a series designed to explore how great teachers have become the excellent educators they are today and what experiences and supports helped these teachers refine their practice over time. The first two reports explored the perspectives of National State Read more about Good to Great Study Series: “Investing in What it Takes to Move from Good to Great”[…]

Professional Development Activities of U.S. Public School Teachers

Posted on May 18, 2017May 12, 2017 by coreeducation

A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics provides a snapshot of teacher professional development among U.S. public school teachers. The report uses data collected through the 2011–12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) Public School Teacher Questionnaire. This report relies on data provided by public school teachers about their professional development activities. The Read more about Professional Development Activities of U.S. Public School Teachers[…]

Five Unexpected Places where You can Learn to Be a Better Teacher

Posted on May 16, 2017May 12, 2017 by coreeducation

If you ever attend an amateur comedy contest, you’ll notice that beginning comics face some of the same classroom-management-style issues that pop up in an inexperienced teacher’s classroom. As with teaching, experienced comics can make “owning the room” look easy. That’s because they’ve had years to develop their material and practice fundamental skills like timing Read more about Five Unexpected Places where You can Learn to Be a Better Teacher[…]

Igniting the Learning Engine

Posted on May 15, 2017May 5, 2017 by coreeducation

Igniting the Learning Engine, a new report from Education Resource Strategies, examines how leaders in four school systems have successfully re-organized resources to create the type of effective, job-embedded professional learning that teachers are asking for. The report describes three inter-related elements that these systems have in common: (a) Rigorous, comprehensive curricula and assessments aligned Read more about Igniting the Learning Engine[…]

Learning from Mixed Results: What’s Next for Teacher Professional Development?

Posted on May 9, 2017May 5, 2017 by coreeducation

Research from three studies has found that intensive, content-focused professional development (PD) improved teachers’ knowledge and some aspects of their practice, but did not improve student achievement. The studies are summarized by AIR in its brief, Does Content-Focused Teacher Professional Development Work? The PD examined in the three studies emphasized building teachers’ content knowledge and Read more about Learning from Mixed Results: What’s Next for Teacher Professional Development?[…]

Meta-Analysis of Teacher Coaching

Posted on May 4, 2017April 29, 2017 by coreeducation

A new study authored by researchers from Brown and Harvard universities points to one promising strategy for helping current teachers improve: one-on-one coaching. Teacher coaching has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional models of professional development. Authors reviewed the empirical literature on teacher coaching and conducted meta-analyses to estimate the mean effect of coaching Read more about Meta-Analysis of Teacher Coaching[…]

Principal Professional Development: New Opportunities for a Renewed State Focus

Posted on March 21, 2017March 16, 2017 by coreeducation

AIR’s Cortney Rowland has written a new report examining the opportunities provided by ESSA for states to focus on principal professional development. Again and again, states and districts have focused on teachers rather than principals when making policy and allotting funds and resources for professional development and support. Principals’ groups and other educators have long Read more about Principal Professional Development: New Opportunities for a Renewed State Focus[…]

Coaching Roles That Achieve Their Potential to Improve Teaching and Learning

Posted on March 6, 2017February 22, 2017 by coreeducation

Despite decades of efforts to support teachers with coaching, most teachers still do not get the support they need in their own classrooms. Yet many teachers, including experienced ones, need support to continue to evolve professionally, hone their practice, and use new tools. Based on experience, the research base on coaching, and a forward-looking analysis, Read more about Coaching Roles That Achieve Their Potential to Improve Teaching and Learning[…]

Designing Professional Learning

Posted on February 16, 2017February 10, 2017 by coreeducation

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership has released their Designing Professional Learning report, which provides a snapshot of the key elements involved in creating effective and engaging professional learning in a globally dispersed market. This report provides detailed guidance on how to configure and evaluate context-specific models. It includes a Learning Design Anatomy Read more about Designing Professional Learning[…]

New Survey from CAP: Districts Not Investing Enough in Human Capital

Posted on February 7, 2017January 30, 2017 by coreeducation

To succeed in today’s economy, organizations must invest in the skills, knowledge and abilities of their staff – i.e. human capital – to maximize their performance. Ranging from talent recruitment, to creating workplace practices and environments that encourage employees to develop and stay, these tactics are being used by organizations throughout the country to be Read more about New Survey from CAP: Districts Not Investing Enough in Human Capital[…]

Developing Resilient, Equity-Conscious Teachers

Posted on November 16, 2016November 12, 2016 by coreeducation

In Education Week Teacher, Elena Aguilar writes an insightful piece about the promise of transformational coaching. Excerpts appear below: I believe new-teacher support programs must be linked to schools’ moral imperative to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of every child, every day. To that end, the overarching objective of a teacher-support program should Read more about Developing Resilient, Equity-Conscious Teachers[…]

Mindset in the Classroom: A National Study of K-12 Teachers

Posted on November 9, 2016October 28, 2016 by coreeducation

The Education Week Research Center has released an original study examining teachers’ perspectives on growth mindset. The national survey of K-12 educators, conducted with support from the Raikes Foundation, also explores their views about professional development, training, and the use of practices related to growth mindset in the classroom. Growth mindset-the belief that intelligence can Read more about Mindset in the Classroom: A National Study of K-12 Teachers[…]