10 Questions for Equity Advocates to Ask About Distance Learning

Many states are leaving decisions about how to continue instruction during school closures up to districts. Digital Promise and The Education Trust have partnered to compile the following questions to guide equity advocates and district leaders as they engage in conversations to ensure that our most vulnerable students have equitable access to distance learning, both Read more about 10 Questions for Equity Advocates to Ask About Distance Learning[…]

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Half-Time High School May be Just What Students Need

Writing for the Fordham Institute, Michael Petrilli explains the opportunity we have to explore the benefits of a high school schedule that looks more like a college model. Excerpts from the piece appear below: While there’s much to rue about what the pandemic has taken away, it’s possible to glimpse a future in which technology Read more about Half-Time High School May be Just What Students Need[…]

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What Post-Covid Schools Could Look Like-Starting This Fall

Writing for Future Ed, Karen Hawley Miles envisions a future for public schooling that makes the most of current flexibilities. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Let’s not repeat the mistakes the education sector made in responding to the last major disruption of the education system. In the wake of the 2008 recession, many school Read more about What Post-Covid Schools Could Look Like-Starting This Fall[…]

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Cleveland Schools Considering ‘Mastery’ Learning Initiative That Would Scrap Grade Levels

Recently The 74 reported on a new initiative in Cleveland designed to confront Coronavirus learning loss by focusing on mastery learning. Excerpts of the piece appear below: A bold proposal in Cleveland could set the tone for how schools around the country could restart in the fall, one that takes into account students’ vastly different Read more about Cleveland Schools Considering ‘Mastery’ Learning Initiative That Would Scrap Grade Levels[…]

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A Blueprint for Back to School

Writing for AEI, John Bailey and Frederick Hess, in collaboration with a group of former state education chiefs, federal policymakers, district superintendents, and charter school network leaders, have released a blueprint for how to address the challenges that lie ahead in reopening America’s schools. The authors deliberately decided to work with mostly former—rather than current— Read more about A Blueprint for Back to School[…]

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How Do You Keep 21st Century Students Engaged? By Building Up Their ‘Vocational Selves’

Writing for The 74, Bruno Manno explores programs that help nurture students’ occupational identities and vocational selves. Excerpts from the piece appear below: New partnerships are emerging across the U.S. that create innovative educational approaches to preparing America’s young people for jobs, careers and further education, helping them develop an occupational identity and vocational self. Read more about How Do You Keep 21st Century Students Engaged? By Building Up Their ‘Vocational Selves’[…]

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Should K-12 Education Do More Than Prepare for College and Career?

The following reflections come from KnowledgeWorks: What is the purpose of K-12 education? Is it to get you into a good college? To provide you a career or military pathway? To prepare you for life? Maybe it’s all three. Maybe it depends on the student, or the needs of their family or community. There’s considerable Read more about Should K-12 Education Do More Than Prepare for College and Career?[…]

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How are school districts adapting teacher work policies for emergency closures?

Understandably, the sudden closure of schools has been both immeasurably difficult and confusing for students and adults alike. The first priority for most school districts has been ensuring the safety and nutrition of their students, but now the focus is increasingly on how to keep students learning–and that requires forging teacher policies to address issues Read more about How are school districts adapting teacher work policies for emergency closures?[…]

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Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education

UNCF has released a new report, Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education, which details historically black colleges and universities’ (HBCUs) longstanding efforts to provide quality educational experiences for their students and how their success may be translated in K-12 schools.  For decades, public education has implemented reforms specifically targeting students of color, but the Read more about Imparting Wisdom: HBCU Lessons for K-12 Education[…]

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Early College: The Little Reform Bundle That Could

Recently, Tom Vander Ark reviewed the literature on early college high school for the Fordham Institute. Excerpts of his piece appear below: Ten years ago I called early college high schools the best philanthropic initiative in education that never scaled. But the idea keeps chugging along gaining steam with policy and practice innovations. It’s now Read more about Early College: The Little Reform Bundle That Could[…]

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The Science of Advocacy: A Little Opposition is a Good Thing

An increasing focus on the science of learning is making a difference in classrooms across the country. To tap the similar potential of bringing a scientific mindset to the complex work of education advocacy, FutureEd has partnered with 50CAN to establish AdvocacyLabs, an initiative combining lessons from rigorous academic research on advocacy with data from Read more about The Science of Advocacy: A Little Opposition is a Good Thing[…]

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Recent Research: Taking Student-Centered Learning and Equity to Scale

Can teaching and learning practices that foster deeper learning among all students-not just the most advantaged-be successfully replicated across large numbers of schools? The answer is an unqualified “yes,” according to the Learning Policy Institute’s recently released study, Deeper Learning Networks: Taking Student-Centered Learning and Equity to Scale. The study examines how three school networks, Read more about Recent Research: Taking Student-Centered Learning and Equity to Scale[…]

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Why Should School Districts Focus on Effective Implementation?

The George W. Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative recently released a tool designed to help education leaders turn their vision into reality – the Effective Implementation Framework.  Researchers are currently using it in a School Leadership District Cohort research project with four district partners to implement the Principal Talent Management Framework – a resource to Read more about Why Should School Districts Focus on Effective Implementation?[…]

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November Issue Brief: The Science of Learning

In recent years, cognitive psychologists and other researchers have learned a great deal about effective learning and teaching practices. In some cases, findings have gone against conventional wisdom or common practice, and teachers may have difficulty integrating them into their instruction. In November’s issue brief, Core Education offers resources that provide an overview of findings Read more about November Issue Brief: The Science of Learning[…]

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Prioritizing The Most Urgent Education Challenges

Over the past two years, Digital Promise has engaged in a rigorous research process to surface common challenges being tackled in public schools around the country. The resulting Challenge Map presents 38 shared education challenges within nine broad themes related to: Students and classrooms (student learning and instructional approaches) Schools (professional learning & support, school Read more about Prioritizing The Most Urgent Education Challenges[…]

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Overcoming the Challenges Facing Innovative Learning Models in K-12 Education

Joel Rose of New Classrooms Innovation Partners recently wrote a piece for AEI illuminating the forces that keep schools as they are and exploring how these forces might be addressed. Main points include the following: K-12 innovation has a fundamental paradox: Meaningful improvements to student outcomes require learning models that challenge the basic constructs of Read more about Overcoming the Challenges Facing Innovative Learning Models in K-12 Education[…]

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