Michael Lewis’ book, Moneyball, which later became a motion picture starring Brad Pitt, details the transformation of baseball’s Oakland A’s through data analytics. The true story makes a compelling case that making decisions based on data is both cost effective and powerful. In this month’s issue brief, we explore the ways in which a Moneyball Read more about April Issue Brief: Moneyball for Education[…]
Author of the commentary for Education Week and math expert Marilyn Burns, says, “From more than 50 years of teaching experience, I’ve learned that elementary school teachers are typically more comfortable teaching reading.” Burns is mostly concerned in her article with discussing elementary level education, although her principle could be applied beyond that as well. Read more about To Teach Math, Study Reading Instruction[…]
Education Week has released a new review of the updated Doug Lemov education bestseller, Teach Like a Champion. The updated version builds on the strategies from the first version, which came out in 2010. The book has been especially popular with teachers and schools, who appreciate its particular focus on practical strategies that teachers can Read more about Teach Like a Champion Update Heightens Focus on Instructional Practice[…]
Every learner is different. Nowhere is this as true as it is for teachers. Every teacher comes to the classroom with a different background, different set of skills and differences in how they learn best. Add to this complexity the fact that every teacher has a different set of students each year, all with their Read more about From Pre-Fab to Personalized: How Districts Are Retooling Professional Development[…]
Education Policy 101 is an innovative online course that introduces the key education policies that affect American K-12 students. It provides a comprehensive, research-based foundation for navigating current education-policy issues such as school choice, teacher quality, education finance, early childhood education and standards and accountability. Course instructors include: Martin West, Harvard Graduate School of Education Read more about Education Policy 101 — a joint project of 50CAN and the Fordham Institute[…]
The Time for Equity Indicators Framework is a web-based tool today that provides school and district leaders, reform support partners, researchers, and community organizations with a wealth of information about how to effectively measure the process and impact of expanding and reimagining learning time. It has been developed by the Annenberg Institute Read more about Time for Equity Indicators Framework[…]
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was engaged by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct a research study on professional development for teachers to help identify needs and opportunities for improvement. To inform this research, between January and March 2014, BCG engaged more than 1,300 stakeholders—including teachers, professional development leaders in district and state Read more about Teachers Know Best: Teachers’ Views on Professional Development[…]
In today’s information age, educational resources are being shared on an unprecedented scale. Common standards facilitate this sharing across districts and states, and national organizations and non-profits are beginning to develop open educational resources (OERs) for widespread use. While OERs are becoming more prevalent, how can educators locate materials that are worth one’s time and Read more about December Issue Brief: Open Educational Resources[…]
In today’s contentious education debates, Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) offer a compelling middle ground that provides rigor and concrete data yet in a way that accommodates student needs. The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) has several new resources available for education leaders to use in order to take full advantage of the Read more about New SLO Resources from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders[…]
In today’s rapidly changing global economy, “21st century skills” means much more than proficiency in basic academic subjects. One of the most important non-cognitive competencies for student success is conscientiousness, which encompasses traits such as perseverance, self-regulation, resilience, and responsibility. This policy brief provides an overview of conscientiousness and its relationship to student achievement, and Read more about Brief: Understanding Conscientiousness and Its Role in Improved Student Achievement[…]
Join REL Mid-Atlantic for an Ask An Expert online chat on Using Student Surveys to Monitor Teacher Effectiveness. Kim Marshall, a former teacher of the year and principal who now advises and coaches new principals, will lead the discussion. He teaches instructional leadership and publishes The Marshall Memo, a weekly newsletter. His most recent book Read more about Using Student Surveys to Monitor Teacher Effectiveness[…]
Let’s say you want to improve elementary literacy scores in your district. You might use a Return on Investment (ROI) analysis to compare which professional development program will most help your literacy teachers for the money invested. But is a new PD program even the best solution? You might see more ROI from recruiting and Read more about ROI: Making Every Dollar Count[…]
The Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University has released “A Compendium of Research on the Common Core Standards,” a compilation of over 60 research studies focused on a range of issues and topics related to the Common Core Standards. CEP has been a leading voice on the need for a broader, Read more about CEP Releases Compendium of Research on the Common Core Standards[…]
EdReports.org, a new, independent nonprofit designed to improve K-12 education in the United States, will launch in winter 2014. EdReports.org will provide free, web-based reviews of instructional materials focusing on alignment to the Common Core and other indicators of high quality as recommended by educators, including usability, teacher support, and differentiation. These Consumer Reports-style reviews Read more about EdReports.org to review CCCS aligned materials[…]
Faced with tougher state standards and new research about how children learn, more schools and school districts have plunged into variants of personalized learning, or approaches to instruction that seek to better cater to students’ individual learning needs. This special report from Education Week explores that growing interest in personalized learning, looking at how related Read more about Getting Personal: Teachers, Technology, and Tailored Instruction[…]
TeacherLedProfessionalLearning.org aims to catalyze changes to ensure that all teachers have the chance to learn on the job and that great teachers can lead on the job. The website starts with a simple premise: Schools already have their greatest professional development resource on hand: great teachers who are ready to take on leadership roles, who Read more about Teacher Led Professional Learning[…]