Opportunity to Learn, Responsibility to Lead

Posted on February 14, 2023February 12, 2023 by coreeducation

State policymakers are the constitutional stewards and primary funders of America’s public schools. Through standards, data systems, funding, accountability expectations, and learning supports, as well as many other decisions, state policy significantly shapes and influences whether students have access to the opportunities they need and deserve. Opportunities to learn – the resources, experiences, and expectations Read more about Opportunity to Learn, Responsibility to Lead[…]

Smart State Strategies for Building Intensive Tutoring Systems

Posted on April 6, 2022April 4, 2022 by coreeducation

In May 2021, Education Trust, Education Reform Now, and FutureEd published State Guidance for High-Impact Tutoring to help states implement successful tutoring programs. Now, a new follow-up publication outlines the features of effective and equitable state tutoring initiatives and provides examples of states that show promise in implementing them, to further support the work of Read more about Smart State Strategies for Building Intensive Tutoring Systems[…]

The New Testing Landscape: How State Assessments Are Changing Under ESSA

Posted on September 24, 2019September 18, 2019 by coreeducation

State testing systems are in transition. Buffeted by anti-testing sentiment on the left and right, budget battles, and renewed debates over the role that testing plays, the recent, unprecedented push for states to collaborate on high-quality, standards-aligned assessments has given way to an increasingly fragmented marketplace. A new report from FutureEd Senior Fellow Lynn Olson Read more about The New Testing Landscape: How State Assessments Are Changing Under ESSA[…]

Reimagining the Teaching Profession for the 21st Century

Posted on July 25, 2019March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

In a new issue brief, iNACOL outlines five key opportunities for state policymakers to transform the teaching profession to enable it to support the shift toward student-centered learning models in K-12 education. Modernizing the Teaching Workforce for Learner-Centered, Competency-Based, Equity-Oriented Education: State Policy Recommendations makes five recommendations to leverage the unique role of state policymaking: Read more about Reimagining the Teaching Profession for the 21st Century[…]

Choosing Wisely: How States Can Help Districts Adopt High-Quality Instructional Materials

Posted on June 13, 2019June 8, 2019 by coreeducation

Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of state and district education chiefs, released a report showing that many states, tacitly or explicitly, promote the use of low-quality K-12 instructional materials. In the most recent review cycles, some states did not approve even a single highly rated curriculum for school districts to use — despite research Read more about Choosing Wisely: How States Can Help Districts Adopt High-Quality Instructional Materials[…]

Growth Data: It Matters, and It’s Complicated

Posted on February 6, 2019February 2, 2019 by coreeducation

Forty-eight states and Washington, DC have committed to measuring and reporting on individual student growth under ESSA. This means everyone in those states – from parents to policymakers – will have more information than before on student performance and school quality. But the questions they’ll be able to answer depend on how states measure growth. Read more about Growth Data: It Matters, and It’s Complicated[…]

Strong Teacher Evaluation Systems Go Hand-in-Hand With Improved Teacher Quality

Posted on December 5, 2018December 3, 2018 by coreeducation

Analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds tangible evidence that teacher evaluation systems, when implemented well, are coinciding with real and measurable benefits for students and teachers alike. The past decade has been marked by rapid changes in teacher evaluations. While many districts and states announced their intention to install better systems, Read more about Strong Teacher Evaluation Systems Go Hand-in-Hand With Improved Teacher Quality[…]

November Issue Brief: Systemic Education Reform

Posted on November 27, 2018November 24, 2018 by coreeducation

Improvement-minded educators and policymakers have found that changes to one element of the education system often have unintended consequences in other areas. As a result, it is important to consider the holistic system when implementing reforms. In Core Education’s November issue brief, we explore systems change in education. We explore resources that center on comprehensive Read more about November Issue Brief: Systemic Education Reform[…]

50-State Comparison: Teacher Leadership and Licensure Advancement

Posted on November 14, 2018November 12, 2018 by coreeducation

On the path to strengthen teacher pipelines, support excellent teaching and improve retention, many states have developed opportunities for teacher leadership and advancement. While most states offer advanced licenses to encourage ongoing learning and growth within the teaching profession, many are now also including supports and incentives to encourage more teachers to become leaders in Read more about 50-State Comparison: Teacher Leadership and Licensure Advancement[…]

Inside Tennessee’s Statewide Teacher Transformation

Posted on October 18, 2018October 11, 2018 by coreeducation

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act has placed authority for improving education squarely in states’ hands. In its latest report, Scaling Reform: Inside Tennessee’s Statewide Teacher Transformation, FutureEd chronicles how one state has achieved major changes, with powerful lessons for other states. Over the past decade, Tennessee has led one of the most comprehensive educator Read more about Inside Tennessee’s Statewide Teacher Transformation[…]

Promoting Professional Learning Through Teacher Licensure Renewal Policies

Posted on September 6, 2018September 3, 2018 by coreeducation

Writing for New America, Melissa Tooley and Taylor White highlight how the policies undergirding most states’ licensure renewal systems not only conflict with what is known about best practices in adult learning, but that “whether a teacher grows considerably while fulfilling her state’s renewal requirements or does not improve at all is of no consequence Read more about Promoting Professional Learning Through Teacher Licensure Renewal Policies[…]

Achieve: Do not use SAT or ACT as state summative assessment

Posted on June 12, 2018June 10, 2018 by coreeducation

Achieve released a new brief warning against the use of ACT or SAT exams as the summative high school assessment for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Achieve highlighted three reviews of these tests, looking at their alignment to states’ college- and career-ready academic standards and how using the tests for accountability would impact students, Read more about Achieve: Do not use SAT or ACT as state summative assessment[…]

50-State Comparison: State Summative Assessments

Posted on June 7, 2018June 4, 2018 by coreeducation

The Education Commission of the States’ Comparison on State Summative Assessments was just updated and now includes information on the assessments that each state is using to meet federal requirements in 2017-18. As a condition of receiving federal funds, the Every Student Succeeds Act requires state education agencies to implement statewide assessments in mathematics and Read more about 50-State Comparison: State Summative Assessments[…]

50-State Comparison: School Leader Certification and Preparation Programs

Posted on May 8, 2018May 8, 2018 by coreeducation

Research shows school leadership is a pivotal factor in improving student achievement and retaining quality teachers. In fact, among school-related factors, leadership is found to have one of the greatest impacts on student learning — second only to classroom instruction. However, many districts are challenged by high rates of turnover, resulting in shortages and inexperienced Read more about 50-State Comparison: School Leader Certification and Preparation Programs[…]

State Education Policy Tracking

Posted on April 9, 2018April 6, 2018 by coreeducation

The Education Commission of the States is out with policy snapshots of enacted state legislation related to teachers. Each snapshot covers all teacher legislation in 2017 as well as select 2018 introduced legislation and details various state approaches to attracting and retaining a high-quality teacher workforce. Access the snapshots at the following links: Teacher Evaluations: Read more about State Education Policy Tracking[…]

NCTQ Releases Analysis of States’ Efforts to Address Teacher Shortages and Surpluses

Posted on March 14, 2018March 9, 2018 by coreeducation

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released its Teacher Shortages and Surpluses Databurst, an analysis of states’ work to track teacher shortages and surpluses, and to implement policy solutions to address these challenges. This resource includes an overview of promising practices currently being implemented, a snapshot of all 50 states’ and the District Read more about NCTQ Releases Analysis of States’ Efforts to Address Teacher Shortages and Surpluses[…]