Melissa Junge and Sheara Krvaric of AEI Education have written an important report highlighting the need for education leaders to understand the complexity of education laws, and as a result, the need for lawyers to help bring about effective reform. Following are some key points from the report: — Given the myriad rules and regulations Read more about Managing the law in education[…]
The Regional Education Laboratories offer a number of webinars that are of interest to education reformers. Below, you will find a list of recently recorded webinars as well an upcoming event of interest. Effective School Leaders This webinar explores the role of school leaders in fostering teacher effectiveness and discusses strategies they can use to Read more about Upcoming (and recorded) Webinars from the Regional Ed Labs[…]
The Council of Chief State School Officers is seeking feedback from the public on draft standards for education leaders that aim to ensure district and school leaders are able to improve student achievement and meet new, higher expectations. The standards detail the leadership skills and knowledge effective district and school leaders need in order to Read more about CCSSO Wants Your Comments on Revised Standards for Education Leaders[…]
The job of the teacher today is more demanding than ever, and teachers need the support of colleagues and a productive school culture for continuous growth and ongoing resilience in the face of challenges. But a vibrant school culture is an elusive concept. In this month’s issue brief, we explore various commentary, resources, and ideas Read more about September Issue Brief: School Culture[…]
Discussions about improving public education often focus on outcomes without considering how schools and districts can accomplish those outcomes. Research shows that using a continuous improvement process has proven successful in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology, and may hold potential for use in education as well. This brief defines and describes the continuous improvement process, and Read more about McREL Policy Brief: Continuous Improvement in Schools and Districts[…]
In many ways, the success of educational policies in the United States depends greatly on the success of state education agencies. States—traditionally through state education agencies, or SEAs—monitor districts and schools to ensure that students are safe in school and that their education meets minimum quality standards. But the space occupied by SEAs is also Read more about Cutting Red Tape: Overcoming Bureaucracy to Develop High-Performing SEAs[…]
At The Lens, part of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, Paul Hill offers a model for finding existing star performers in underperforming urban school districts. Every school district has teachers and administrators who are part of the problem but also teachers and administrators who are already or are very willing to be part of Read more about Conserving Principal and Teacher Talent[…]
Fourteen school systems around the country, including the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County (MD), will receive grants totaling $30 million to improve the effectiveness of unsung middle managers in large urban districts – those who supervise principals. The five-year program, funded by the Wallace Foundation, is designed to help improve management in sprawling Read more about Wallace Foundation aims to help school leaders get better, donates $30 million[…]
Why should Americans concerned about education know the name of a state senator from Colorado? Because he, and others like him who are willing to work across the aisle, are likely to be the face of American education reform of the future. State Senator Mike Johnston has quite the pedigree: Ivy League undergrad (Yale), Teach Read more about State Sen. Mike Johnston: An Up and Comer in Education Reform[…]
Most personal student information stays local. Districts, states, and the federal government all collect data about students for important purposes like informing instruction and providing information to the public. But the type of data collected, and who can access them, is different at each point. Explore how student data—from schools to the US Department of Read more about Who Uses Student Data?[…]
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[…]
Maureen Kelleher at the Center For American Progress has written an interesting piece describing how several urban school districts have experimented with different school networks. The preliminary findings suggest that other urban school districts should be willing to let their schools create networks of common interests to help those schools that need it most. School Read more about The Rise of Networks: How Decentralized Management Is Improving Schools[…]
The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (at AIR) has a few new briefs out which are certainly worth the precious time of state education agencies. First is Preparing Teachers for the Common Core: Aligning Preparation Program Curricula Hear directly from state chiefs about how they support teacher preparation programs in transitioning curricula and clinical Read more about New GTL Resources on Teacher and Leader Preparation[…]
Education Evolving launched the Teacher-Powered Schools Initiative at the Education Writers Association’s 67th National Seminar’s “Teachers Take Charge” panel discussion. The launch is especially timely given the release of Education Evolving’s new national survey data that that reveal overwhelming public support and teacher interest in a professional partnership model of teacher leadership, or “teacher-powered schools.” Read more about Teacher-Powered Schools Initiative[…]
P-Tech schools, short for Pathways in Technology Early College High School, are the hottest new education commodity, especially in urban areas with progressive political leadership. They essentially are STEM focused public high schools at which students will spend four years, gain a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, receive curriculum and leadership from a Read more about At P-Tech Schools, get a Diploma and a Job[…]
Joshua Starr, the superintendent of the Montgomery County, MD, school system in suburban Washington, is no stranger to controversy over mandated testing. This blog covered his past attempt to delay testing aligned with Common Core in order to give his district teachers more time to prepare students for the changes associated with Common Core. Starr Read more about Superintendent to Parents: Upcoming State Tests Useless[…]