The University of Maine system has released the 2020 Early College Report, which analyzes the impact of early college (dual enrollment) programs in the state. Highlights of the report include the following: Enrollment in Early College (EC) classes has increased 76% system wide in the past five years. Students who take EC classes within the Read more about Maine 2020 Early College Report[…]
Given the urgent need to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, increase economic mobility, and ensure racial justice, it is more important than ever for education leaders at all levels of the PK-12 education system to embrace evidence and data to inform their day-to-day decision-making. Results for America’s new report — Moneyball for Education Policy Recommendations Read more about Moneyball for Education Policy[…]
If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that in-person learning is not the only way to “do” school. During the past year, most districts have experimented with fully Virtual Learning modalities, as well as Hybrid Learning, and some college campuses have also perfected the Hyflex model. Moving into post-COVID recovery, Read more about I-Flex: A New Teaching Modality for Post-Pandemic Recovery[…]
A new national survey by Carnegie Corporation of New York and Gallup, Family Voices: Building Pathways from Learning to Meaningful Work, reveals a disconnect between the opportunities families want for their children and the postsecondary pathways available to them. It offers new insights into the aspirations that parents have for their children, their perspectives on Read more about Building Pathways from Learning to Meaningful Work[…]
Bruno Manno of the Walton Family Foundation and Lynn Olson of FutureEd recently partnered to propose a new bipartisan education agenda focusing on offering multiple career pathways to students. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The new career pathways emerging around the country exemplify what University of Texas law professor Joseph Fishkin calls opportunity pluralism, Read more about Career Pathways as a New Bipartisan Education Agenda[…]
State Departments of Education are receiving their third round of funding from the federal government, also known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds. This infusion of funding is the federal government’s largest ever single investment in our schools. When the money arrives at the state level, 90% of it will have to Read more about Sources of Evidence for Educational Programs[…]
A report released by The YES Project at America’s Promise Alliance provides key insights into young people’s conceptions of the changing employment landscape and what it means to be ready for, connected to, and supported within today’s world of work. Drawing from interviews with 65 young people, ages 16-28, who are participants in one of Read more about Young People’s Experiences Navigating the World of Work[…]
A new resource from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, The Acceleration Imperative: A Plan to Address Elementary Students’ Unfinished Learning in the Wake of COVID-19, aims to give the nation’s chief academic officers and other educators a head start on planning for that recovery, with a particular focus on high-poverty elementary schools. It has four Read more about The Acceleration Imperative[…]
Bellwether Education Partners has released a new policy scan titled, “Working to Learning and Learning to Work: A State-by-State Analysis of High School Work-based Learning Policies.” Excerpts from the report appear below: Work-based learning – including internships, youth and pre-apprenticeships, and cooperative education programs – allows students to gain work experience while in high school. Read more about Working to Learn and Learning to Work: A State-by-State Analysis of High School Work-based Learning Policies[…]
Recently in The Hill, Thomas Toch and Lynn Olson, both of FutureEd, reflected on staffing innovations that are emerging as promising practices amid the pandemic. Excerpts from the piece appear below: One reason distance learning has been such a harrowing experience during the pandemic is that most schools merely shifted the traditional teaching model to Read more about Staffing Innovations from the Pandemic[…]
Postsecondary education is vital to thrive, not just survive. Eighty percent of good-paying jobs require postsecondary education, and 56 percent require a bachelor’s degree or higher. While the nation’s high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 85 percent, students are insufficiently prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce. About 70 percent of Read more about Ready for What? How Multiple Graduation Pathways Do – and Do Not – Signal Readiness for College and Career[…]
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the education field in multiple ways. Policymakers, superintendents, school leaders, and teachers have had to adopt new models, processes, policies, protocols, and strategies in order to conduct the business of teaching and learning over the last year. As the nation (eventually) emerges from this pandemic, which changes are likely to Read more about Issue Brief: Pandemic Trends that may Stick Around[…]
The COVID-19 pandemic has added more stress to an already high-stress profession: American public school teacher. The authors of a new report by RAND share the results of a survey of nearly 1,000 former public school teachers and reveal how important stress has been—even more so than pay—to teachers’ decisions to leave the profession. In Read more about Stress Tops the Reasons Why Public School Teachers Quit[…]
For many state education leaders looking to recoup learning losses caused by interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a competency-based approach is attractive. It provides the flexibility and autonomy for students to earn credits and satisfy diploma requirements by demonstrating mastery of competencies, rather than fulfilling seat time requirements. However, a competency-based approach requires fundamental changes Read more about Policy Solutions that Foster Competency-Based Learning[…]
Writing for Edutopia, Sarah Gonser explores how school leaders can help create the conditions for educator health and well-being. Excerpts of the piece appear below: The stress of this disrupted school year is impacting all educators. Instead of “make space to restore your balance” or “find time to exercise more,” schools need to acknowledge their Read more about Schools, Not Teachers, Must Reduce Stress and Burnout—Here’s How[…]
Recently in the New York Times, Erica Green reviewed an education program that has underprivileged students thriving in Ivy League classes, and the students’ success has raised questions about how elite university gatekeepers determine college prospects. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Through an initiative started by a New York-based nonprofit, the National Education Equity Read more about A College Program for Disadvantaged Teens Could Shake Up Elite Admissions[…]