A small group of Harvard students, backed by a national grass-roots student organization, has taken a very public stand against Teach for America. In a letter last month, they urged President Drew Faust to block TFA from recruiting on campus unless the group makes major changes – including repudiating key corporate sponsors and pledging to Read more about TFA Responds to Increased Scrutiny[…]
The PARCC ELA/literacy prose constructed response item rubrics have been updated with the help of educators across PARCC states to reflect lessons learned from the PARCC field test. A PCR item asks students to produce a robust written reply to a prompt. The rubrics are a voluntary resource, aligned to the CCSS, and designed to Read more about PARCC Releases Updated ELA Rubrics for Prose Constructed Responses[…]
A new toolkit from REL West at WestEd helps educators productively engage students in school improvement efforts, including generating and analyzing data. The Speak Out, Listen Up! toolkit offers strategies for eliciting student voice, or perspective, about education challenges — a perspective that is beneficial in rethinking policies and practices. The toolkit provides instructions and Read more about New Toolkit Helps Educators Engage Students[…]
School leaders are critical in the lives of students and to the development of their teachers. Unfortunately, in too many instances, principals are effective in spite of – rather than because of – district conditions. To truly improve student achievement for all students across the country, well-prepared principals need the tools, support, and culture that Read more about Great Principals at Scale: Creating District Conditions That Enable All Principals to Be Effective[…]
Urban Teacher Center (UTC) together with 100Kin10 and dozens of partner organizations, announced the launch of “Blow Minds, Teach STEM,” a coordinated, co-funded campaign to inspire undergraduates and recent graduates with strong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to become teachers. The U.S. ranks 27th in math and 20th in science among industrialized countries, Read more about New STEM Initiative: Blow Minds. Teach STEM.[…]
Chester E. Finn Jr., a veteran of the education policy wars in the United States over the last several decades, finds two main things to be pleased about in terms of school reform, but eight main things to be targeted as needed reforms for the future. Following are his two positives: First, we now judge Read more about Finn: Eight of the Toughest Challenges Schools Still Face[…]
On his Education Week blog, Marc Tucker argues that teachers should serve as the agents of education research, not just subjects of it. There is no argument about the need for research in the United States, but Tucker worries that most of it is done by academics not involved in the daily demands of teaching. Read more about Teachers as Researchers: Another Mark of Professionalism[…]
There has been much talk in recent years about new incentive-based pay scales for teachers, but often the talk lacks the details to turn the talk into reality. But Baltimore City Public Schools (MD) has created a new pay ladder, and Education Week has published an interesting infographic with the details. The official name of Read more about Infographic: Climbing the Career Ladder in Baltimore[…]
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[…]
Many states are proactively engaging educators in shaping key reforms, including evaluation, feedback, and support systems. The Reform Support Network has released a study titled Engaging Educators: A Reform Support Network Guide for States and Districts that takes a close look at five states/districts to watch. These include Denver Public Schools; Hillsborough County, Florida; Illinois; Read more about Engaging Educators: A Reform Support Network Guide for States and Districts[…]
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[…]
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[…]
In a landmark agreement, leaders of eight Maryland education organizations are joining together to support the implementation of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs), a key component of the new teacher and principal evaluation system. This level of collaboration is unprecedented at the statewide level. All of the organizations have agreed to coordinate resources and strategies and Read more about Landmark Partnership in Maryland[…]
Anne Hyslop of the New America Foundation has written a compelling piece about the supposed test-and-punish legacy of No Child Left Behind. Nearly 15 years on from that piece of legislation, which many prominent public school advocates such as Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University and AFT President Randi Weingarten have lampooned for its punitive measures Read more about Test and Punish – A Reality or Mirage?[…]
A new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) argues that a comprehensive digital infrastructure must include changes in teaching practice, professional learning, assessment, and other key elements. While connecting the nation’s schools and libraries to the internet by modernizing and expanding the federal E-rate program currently dominates education technology efforts, a new report Read more about Creating Anytime, Anywhere Learning for All Students[…]
The Common Core State Standards, which have been adopted by more than 40 states, are one of the most important reforms to American public education in decades. However, despite the many benefits of the Common Core, its bipartisan support, and the widespread adoption and integration into state plans to redesign their education systems, the success Read more about 9 Steps to Successfully Implementing the Common Core[…]