Making complex research concepts easily accessible to policymakers and practitioners can be challenging for researchers who have been trained to write for an academic audience. This is especially an important issue for school and district leaders who want to keep their staff abreast of key new developments in the field without intimidating or losing the Read more about Writing about Research Concepts in Everyday Language[…]
Across the country, millions of children attend public school every year. Their parents likely went to public school too, as do the vast majority of Americans. But attending public school, or even working in education, isn’t the same as knowing how public schools—and our nation’s education system—actually work. How Schools Work and How to Work Read more about How Schools Work and How to Work with Schools[…]
As demands on teachers increase, schools across the country are expanding their calendars to give teachers more time to collaborate and develop new skills. Recently, NCTL unveiled its newest report at an event in Washington, D.C. co-hosted with Teach Plus. Time for Teachers: Leveraging Time to Strengthen Instruction and Empower Teachers looks at how expanded-time Read more about Time for Teachers: Leveraging Time to Strengthen Instruction and Empower Teachers[…]
Education can scratch the surface, or it can go deep – providing students with not just subject knowledge, but the skills required to master that subject. Skills such as inquiry, critical thinking, and collaborative problem solving equip students with the tools they need to succeed in college and the workforce—tools that set the foundation for Read more about Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning[…]
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is now recruiting! Help shape the future of National Board Certification and experience a sample of the process that thousands of teachers have called transformative. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is seeking PreK-12 grade teachers to volunteer to participate in field tests of the revised Read more about Help NBPTS revise its new certification process[…]
States should promote data use skills, ease of access to data, and the use of a common language about data literacy to support strengthening data literacy among the nation’s educators as an important lever for improving student achievement, according to a new policy brief, Data Literacy: It’s About Time. The policy brief looks at current Read more about Action Needed to Improve Educator Data Literacy[…]
ASCD, the global education community, announced new features available on its free common core implementation tool ASCD EduCore. For the new year, the updated EduCore website features simpler navigation and expanded resources. Launched in August of 2012, the free EduCore digital tool is available for educators implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in both Read more about ASCD’s Free EduCore™ Common Core Implementation Tool[…]
A free DVD from the School Turnaround Learning Community provides resources for conducting professional development on using educator evaluation results to create and support a system of professional growth for teachers. The module contains three sessions, each including agendas, PowerPoint slides, facilitator’s notes, multimedia, sample materials, and handouts: Session 1: Overview of the connection between Read more about Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning[…]
Just in time for the New Year, the Department of Education has launched two new education reform resources. Bookshelf is a series of ready-made presentations that highlight numerous focus areas in education. The presentation slide decks present facts, charts, data, and other information reflecting progress and challenges in improving education, as well as ED programs Read more about ED Resources Offer Reform Insights and Help[…]
How well educators manage to adjust the Common Core to the needs of each student could prove pivotal academically, but also politically, as the standards themselves face skepticism in the states. This special report looks at the challenges educators face in adapting the standards for students with disabilities, English-learners, and gifted students. The special report Read more about Special Report on Diverse Learners and the Common Core[…]
Professional learning communities (PLCs)—teams of educators who meet regularly to exchange ideas, monitor student progress, and identify professional learning needs—reflect a growing interest in promoting professional development that engages teachers and administrators. Increasingly, teachers are able to participate in online and hybrid PLCs in addition to PLCs that meet face-to-face. A new report from the Read more about Online Professional Learning Communities[…]
Ever feel like education reform efforts are pulling educators in too many, often opposing directions? In a new special issues brief, authors Sheri Leo and Jane Coggshall lay out a suggested approach for creating meaningful coherence across three interdependent education reforms: Common Core State Standards, teacher evaluation, and professional learning. Their new paper is Creating Read more about Bringing It All Together to Promote Student Learning[…]
In today’s information age, educators are being inundated with research, resources, and tools – all aimed at improving education, instruction, and student performance. How can educators sift through all this information to find resources that are worth one’s time and attention? In this month’s issue brief, we focus on online resources for educators, pulling together Read more about October Issue Brief- Online Resources For Educators[…]
A new guide from Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific provides a framework, suggested activities, and activity forms to build capacity among teachers, administrators, staff, and other stakeholders for using data more comprehensively and effectively in education decision making. The Regional Educational Laboratories partner with states and districts to build capacity. They conduct applied research and Read more about Five Key Steps for Structuring Conversations about Data[…]
The National School Boards Association‘s Center for Public Education is out with a recent report that says teaching the Common Core will require a professional development overhaul. Most teachers only receive workshop-based training for professional development, even though research shows it can be ineffective, the report says. And while teachers might be learning new approaches, Read more about Professional Development and Common Core[…]
Improving teacher effectiveness relies on effective professional learning experiences for in-service, induction and veteran educators. With so much in flux — standards, curriculum, assessment, and evaluation — professional learning is more important than ever. In this month’s issue brief, we focus on professional learning, pulling together various resources and offering food for thought. We’d love Read more about September Issue Brief – Professional Development[…]