How Do You Build Continuously Improving Systems of Schools?

Posted on February 14, 2019February 12, 2019 by coreeducation

Over the last 20 years, eight U.S. cities have seen more students attending more effective schools at a faster pace than other urban areas. In Oakland, D.C., Denver, New Orleans, New York City, Newark, Camden, and Chicago, education leaders have increased the number of high-performing schools and set up systems that continuously improve. Bellwether Education’s Read more about How Do You Build Continuously Improving Systems of Schools?[…]

Designing an Education System for the Tails, Not the Mean

Posted on January 24, 2019March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

As part of CRPE’s 25th anniversary collection, Thinking Forward: New Ideas for a New Era of Public Education, Robin Lake and Travis Pillow explore how a system built to meet the needs of “square peg” students could benefit all students. They write: A growing effort to personalize learning moves in the right direction, but is Read more about Designing an Education System for the Tails, Not the Mean[…]

From Fragmentation to Coherence

Posted on December 12, 2018March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Fragmentation in education limits our ability to provide students with what they need to succeed. Students lose out when the adults in their lives get pulled in different directions. They lose out when their teachers teach one way to deliver a curriculum, and another to prepare them for standardized tests. They lose out when what Read more about From Fragmentation to Coherence[…]

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[…]

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[…]

Continuous Improvement in Practice

Posted on August 28, 2018March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Calls for “continuous improvement” commonly arise in discussions about school improvement in the K-12 education system. But educators have various definitions of continuous improvement, and few know what continuous improvement looks like in practice. To advance this conversation, a new brief from WestEd helps to define continuous improvement both in theory and in practice, and Read more about Continuous Improvement in Practice[…]

Marc Tucker on Professionalizing Teaching

Posted on July 19, 2018July 15, 2018 by coreeducation

Recently in Marc Tucker’s blog for the National Center on Education and the Economy, he explored the concept of professionalizing teaching, claiming that it requires an occupational overhaul, not just salary increases for the same occupation. Excerpts of the piece appear below: It costs no more to run a high-performance education system that produces high Read more about Marc Tucker on Professionalizing Teaching[…]

A Policymaker’s Playbook for Transforming Teaching

Posted on July 11, 2018July 6, 2018 by coreeducation

District of Columbia Public Schools has been a source of some sensational headlines over the past decade, from an on-camera firing of a school principal to recent revelations of watered-down diplomas. But the school district arguably has done more to modernize public school teaching than any other in the nation. It is powerful work, yielding Read more about A Policymaker’s Playbook for Transforming Teaching[…]

School Staffing Innovations

Posted on April 19, 2018April 13, 2018 by coreeducation

How can schools begin to address all their students’ individual learning needs? Blended learning is increasingly part of the answer schools consider, but what about a broader rethinking of how schools are organized and staffed? Public Impact and the Clayton Christensen Institute have been taking a close look at eight schools/school networks serving disadvantaged populations Read more about School Staffing Innovations[…]

Developing a Professional Learning System for Adults in Service of Student Learning

Posted on March 15, 2018March 9, 2018 by coreeducation

The Aspen Institute Education & Society Program released a framework that outlines the elements of a coherent, district-wide professional learning system. Developing a Professional Learning System for Adults in Service of Student Learning is the culmination of collaborations with urban district leaders, teachers, and partners over the last several years, and it articulates a core Read more about Developing a Professional Learning System for Adults in Service of Student Learning[…]

New Case Studies: Policy Implementation Hinges on Educator Support

Posted on February 21, 2018February 16, 2018 by coreeducation

Many states will be transitioning to new ESSA-aligned accountability systems over the next few years, and the way those accountability systems are presented to teachers could have a dramatic impact on how they are perceived in states. A new PIE Network resource offers lessons learned from successful implementation efforts, and a useful reminder of what Read more about New Case Studies: Policy Implementation Hinges on Educator Support[…]

The Elements of Success: 10 Million Speak on Schools that Work

Posted on February 7, 2018March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

Based on a review of seminal documents from the Learning First Alliance member organizations, the Alliance has identified six elements around which successful schools are organized, whether formally or informally, that each impact several important aspects of schooling. These elements are: Focus on the Total Child Successful schools support all students’ needs, inside and outside Read more about The Elements of Success: 10 Million Speak on Schools that Work[…]

Recommendations for Early College High School Programs

Posted on December 15, 2017March 3, 2020 by coreeducation

A working group that includes members from some of the country’s most influential education groups released new recommendations aimed at high school programs offering college credit. These programs, often dual-enrollment partnerships with local colleges, have grown in popularity, as have concerns about the rigor, costs and ultimate impact on college success. The group, convened Read more about Recommendations for Early College High School Programs[…]

Empowered Educators Webinar Series

Posted on December 13, 2017December 8, 2017 by coreeducation

The world is changing and so are its schools. In recognition of the need to prepare students for an evolving and increasingly interconnected world, a growing number of countries have remodeled their education systems to deliver an education built for the 21st century, producing higher achievement and greater equity than the U.S. How are they Read more about Empowered Educators Webinar Series[…]

The ‘A’ Word: Accountability – The Dirty Word of Today’s Education Reform

Posted on November 27, 2017November 26, 2017 by coreeducation

Throughout this year, the Bush Institute has interviewed education leaders at length about what school accountability means to them. The result is the launch of The “A” Word: Accountability–The Dirty Word of Education Reform. Throughout this interview series, recognized leaders identify why accountability practices matter and how they have used them. They also provide an Read more about The ‘A’ Word: Accountability – The Dirty Word of Today’s Education Reform[…]

Strategies to Scale Up Social Programs

Posted on October 27, 2017October 27, 2017 by coreeducation

Sam Larson, James W. Dearing and Thomas E. Backer of the Wallace Foundation recently worked with 45 diverse nonprofits to discover successful strategies for scaling successful programs. “Strategies to Scale Up Social Programs: Pathways, Partnerships and Fidelity,” examines how successful organizations address how to scale up, whom to involve in the process and the Read more about Strategies to Scale Up Social Programs[…]