The U.S. is on track for a 90 percent high school graduation rate by 2020 after hitting a record high 81 percent this year. That’s according to the GradNation campaign’s sixth annual report released by America’s Promise Alliance, the Alliance for Excellent Education and others. The 10 largest states, including California, Florida, Georgia and North Read more about Progress and Ongoing Challenges: the American Graduation Rate[…]
Teacher employment policies — tenure, dismissal and seniority — have been debated for years, but with recent cases playing out in the courts the disputes have been elevated to new levels. What is best for students and teachers is a complex topic with varying view. This Education Commission of the States policy analysis uses the Read more about Vergara and the Complexities of Teacher Employment Policies — an ECS Policy Analysis[…]
CRPE, based out of the University of Washington, is focused on the complex systemic challenges affecting public education. The organization develops, tests, and supports evidence-based solutions to create new possibilities for the parents, educators, and public officials who strive to improve America’s schools. One of their regular publications, The Lens, addresses tough issues in American Read more about Schools Can’t Innovate Until Districts Do[…]
The implementation of new educator evaluation systems has become an important issue for states and districts. A new guide developed by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Central provides a three-step process for state departments of education to monitor district implementation of state- or district-developed educator evaluation systems. This process includes the following steps: Develop state guidelines Read more about Monitoring the Implementation of Educator Evaluation Systems[…]
Education professional Steve Peha has a new newsletter out discussing the ongoing fears and debates surrounding the Common Core. While Peha is in no way one of the more vocal and enthusiastic backers of the Common Core, he does still support it because “we may end up at least one step closer to understanding the Read more about The Common Fear About the Common Core[…]
In honor of the fact that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed 50 years ago this month, Alyson Klein at Education Week has a lengthy article out describing its legacy and the current challenges related to passing a re-authorization of the bill (whose most recent version was passed in 2001-2002 as No Read more about ESEA’s 50-Year Legacy: Blending Idealism, Policy Tensions[…]
The Center for Education Reform, an organization which supports the role that charter schools have to play in education reform in the U.S., has a new report out addressing individual states’ policies about charter schools. Following is an excerpt from their press release about the report: Of the 42 states and the District of Columbia Read more about Charter School Laws Across States – 2015 Rankings & Scorecard[…]
Evaluation studies of educator evaluation systems can provide feedback on implementation, support continuous improvement, and increase understanding of evaluation systems’ impact on teaching and learning. Although crucial for strengthening evaluation systems, these studies can be challenging to design and can be costly. The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders offers two new resources to help Read more about What Can You Learn From Educator Evaluation Studies?[…]
Achieve’s ninth annual “Closing the Expectations Gap” report, released recently, shows the progress that states have made in advancing college and career readiness while also revealing that much work remains to be done to ensure that all students are academically prepared to succeed in college and careers after high school. “States have made some progress Read more about Achieve’s Report Details States’ Progress in Advancing College and Career Readiness[…]
Recently, Education Week released the 19th edition of its annual Quality Counts report. This year’s installment explores the complex landscape that defines early-childhood services and programs across the country. To complement the report’s journalism, the Education Week Research Center also conducted an original analysis of participation in early-education programs, poverty-based gaps in enrollment, and trends Read more about Education Week Annual Report on US Schools, updated version[…]
The Education Department has ordered every state to develop strategies for ensuring that poor and minority students get their fair share of top teachers; the plans must be submitted by June 1. In the meantime, the department is highlighting the inequities states are working to solve. Newly published “Educator Equity Profiles” for every state and Read more about ED Publishes Educator Equity Profiles of States[…]
There has been a growing debate over the role state education agencies should play in our K-12 system. A just-released ERS report makes the case that we shouldn’t be focused on expanding or limiting the role of states but on ensuring they are more strategic in how they support districts and schools. In “Spinning Straw Read more about Spin Straw into Gold — A Report Highlights Role States Can Play to Support Districts[…]
There is considerable variance in state performance standards, exposing a large gap in expectations between the states with the highest standards and the states with the lowest standards. Although this gap in expectations is large, many policymakers may not be aware of just how large it is. In general, the difference between the standards in Read more about International Benchmarking: State and National Education Performance Standards[…]
This past July, the U.S. Department of Education released the Transparency Best Practices for Schools and Districts, a new set of guidelines created to improve relations between school districts and parents surrounding school districts’ collection, maintenance, and distribution of student data. The new guidelines seek to keep parents more informed and if properly implemented, such Read more about U.S. Department of Education Issues New Guidelines On Collecting Student Data[…]
Indiana looks poised to become one of the only states to allow career professionals a direct path into teaching without prior pedagogical training. While the Indiana Attorney General and Governor still have to sign off on the bill before the end of the year, the career specialist permit has already gotten over several hurdles that Read more about New Alternative Teaching Permit Approved in Indiana[…]
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[…]