Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of Michigan’s School of Education, recently unveiled TeachingWorks, a wing of the School of Education that will focus on “raising the standards for practice as a classroom teacher by transforming how teachers are prepared and supported.” The details of the eventual character of TeachingWorks is still unclear (the full site is Read more about University of Michigan Launches “TeachingWorks”[…]
In a recent opinion piece for Education Week, Craig Hochbein and Bradley Carpenter, assistant professors of K-12 leadership at the University of Louisville, reflect on what they call “disciplined improvement.” Using examples such as Ty Cobb and Ernest Hemingway to illustrate that disciplined improvement encompasses both “the commencement and termination of actions. In addition to Read more about Solving the Real Problems: Disciplined Improvement[…]
In the new era where teachers have little time for face-to-face interaction with colleagues and district budget cuts limit professional development opportunities, educators are increasingly turning to online communities (or professional learning networks, PLNs) that allow them to share lesson plans, teaching strategies, and student work, as well as collaborate across grade levels and departments. Read more about Professional Learning Networks Take on a Grassroots Approach[…]
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently released a “First Look” report on the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study (BTLS), which collected data from teachers who entered the profession in 2007 or 2008 in three waves (two more waves of collection are expected). This report looks at the first wave of data collection. The study Read more about Beginning Teacher Attrition and Mobility: A Longitudinal Study[…]
It is projected that over the next decade, one million teachers will retire from the profession. This estimate forms the basis of the current Department of Education policy objectives to transform the teaching profession by reforming teacher evaluation systems, identifying and rewarding effective teachers while removing the ineffective, and recruiting a “new brand” of teacher. Read more about What We Lose When Teachers Retire[…]
At a conference sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education on October 4, advocates for robust new-teacher support systems gathered to change the current discourse “from evaluation to induction.” Richard Ingersoll, professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke about an analysis he released last year of the National Center Read more about Teacher Induction Gets Renewed Attention[…]
Atul Gawande, a surgeon-writer who has gained recognition in the education world through his appearance in Robert Ruth’s recent piece about using checklists for reading instruction, recently wrote a an article for the New Yorker that offers insights into the teaching (and medical) profession. Gawande describes an experience with a young tennis coach, who, after Read more about Doctor’s Orders: Fund Teacher-Coaching Programs[…]
Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation have launched Teacher Wall, a social network for teachers. The site functions as a virtual town hall that gives teachers an opportunity to talk about the things that are most important to them-from challenges to “A-ha! moments,” from lessons learned to job satisfaction, from curriculum to parent Read more about Teacher Wall Launches[…]
Education Week is currently offering four free “Spotlight” collections for download. Spotlights are a collection of past articles from the publication focused on a particular topic. The four being offered gratis include collections on professional development, teacher evaluation, implementing common standards, and data-driven decision-making. Here are the highlights from each: Spotlight on Reinventing Professional Development Read more about Education Week “Spotlights”[…]
n the August 31, 2011 issue of Education Week, former educator Ama Nyamekye reflects on the controversy surrounding high-stakes testing. In college, she was active in protesting these types of tests and thought that “good teachers should be left to their own devices.” She writes, “ I was certain that I was a good teacher. Read more about A Teacher Finds Good in Testing[…]
Last month Learning Forward released the third edition of its Standards for Professional Learning. These standards outline “the characteristics of professional learning that lead to effective teaching practices, supportive leadership, and improved student results.” The standards are not simply platitudes, however. It is stated clearly that the standards are not a prescription for how teachers, Read more about Learning Forward: Standards for Professional Learning[…]
Reporter-turned-charter school teacher Marilyn Rhames blogged last week on an experience that changed her perception of education and the core values that should guide education reform. She began her student teaching in an elementary school on the West Side of Chicago, where conditions were such that “after six months, I fled.” From the administration’s selfish, Read more about It Happened to Them[…]
The U.S. Department of Education and Asia Society released a report last week entitled, “Improving Teacher Quality Around the World: The International Summit on the Teaching Profession,” addressing lessons shared during the two-day event held in New York City in March. The summit marked the first-ever convening of education ministers, teachers, and union leaders from Read more about Report from the International Summit on the Teaching Profession[…]
A new study based on the Annenberg Institute on School Reform’s (AISR) work with the Transatlantic School Innovation Alliance (TISA) adds to the emerging literature supporting the idea that peer networks among educational practitioners, both within and across schools, can improve teaching and learning.In England, there has been a focus over the past decade on Read more about Educator Networks: A Key to Improvement[…]
After a fantastic conference in Washington, DC with the National Center for Education Information and a nice holiday, I’m back. To ease back into things, I thought I’d have a little fun with educational jargon. Yesterday, John Merrow blogged about “The Joys of Jargon.” He listed the most annoying buzzwords cited by educational reporters. At Read more about Educational Jargon[…]
Education Week is offering a free live webinar, Recalibrating Professional Development for Teacher Success, on Tuesday, April 12, 3 p.m., EDT. With school systems under pressure to boost achievement and improve human capital management, today’s education leaders recognize that effective teacher staff development is more important than ever. Yet teacher learning programs in many schools Read more about Recalibrating Professional Development for Teacher Success[…]