Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning

Posted on February 3, 2014 by coreeducation

A free DVD from the School Turnaround Learning Community provides resources for conducting professional development on using educator evaluation results to create and support a system of professional growth for teachers. The module contains three sessions, each including agendas, PowerPoint slides, facilitator’s notes, multimedia, sample materials, and handouts: Session 1: Overview of the connection between Read more about Linking Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning[…]

Who created education’s narrative?

Posted on December 31, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Who wrote the narrative, the frame through which we view the world of public education? Today the (often unstated) assumptions seem firmly in place: “America is losing the education race, test scores can be trusted, and teachers are the key to learning.” Once you accept all that, it’s logical to fire teachers whose students do Read more about Who created education’s narrative?[…]

Teacher Evaluation Policies Becoming Increasingly Rigorous

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013 by coreeducation

A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality indicates that by and large, teacher evaluations are becoming more stringent. The “State of the State” report is entitled, “Connect the Dots: Using evaluations of teacher effectiveness to inform policy and practice.” The report suggests that 35 states and DC require student achievement (often measured Read more about Teacher Evaluation Policies Becoming Increasingly Rigorous[…]

Finnish Educator Refutes U.S. Approach to Education Reform

Posted on December 8, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post has posted an article by a prominent Finnish education policy expert, Pasi Sahlberg, which argues persuasively that the American focus on teacher effectiveness is missing some key components. Without a shift in thinking about how to reform American education, Sahlberg, who admits some of the large differences between the Read more about Finnish Educator Refutes U.S. Approach to Education Reform[…]

Promising results from new study of DC Impact Teacher Evaluations

Posted on November 12, 2013November 12, 2013 by coreeducation

Thomas S. Dee, of Stanford University, and James Wyckoff, of the University of Virginia, have sparked the debate on teacher evaluations with a new working paper which suggests that DCPS’ IMPACT teacher evaluations have proven effective to increase teacher performance and student test scores. IMPACT is the most radical of various teacher incentive plans tied Read more about Promising results from new study of DC Impact Teacher Evaluations[…]

Alternatives to State Assessments for Measuring Teachers’ Contributions to Student Achievement Growth

Posted on November 7, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Statistics show that an increasing number of school districts have adopted new teacher evaluation techniques. As opposed to what many have feared, districts have almost never used student test data alone to evaluate teachers. Even if they did, the typical measure of student growth—progress on state assessments from one school year to the next—usually covers Read more about Alternatives to State Assessments for Measuring Teachers’ Contributions to Student Achievement Growth[…]

K-12 Teacher Evaluation is Broader than a Test Score

Posted on October 30, 2013 by coreeducation

Teacher evaluation systems today are more refined and useful for improving teachers’ skills and connecting teachers to student achievement than past models, a new national report that examines states’ teacher evaluation policies by the National School Boards Association‘s (NSBA) Center for Public Education (CPE) finds. “Trends in Teacher Evaluation: How States are Measuring Teacher Performance,” Read more about K-12 Teacher Evaluation is Broader than a Test Score[…]

Bringing It All Together to Promote Student Learning

Posted on October 27, 2013 by coreeducation

Ever feel like education reform efforts are pulling educators in too many, often opposing directions? In a new special issues brief, authors Sheri Leo and Jane Coggshall lay out a suggested approach for creating meaningful coherence across three interdependent education reforms: Common Core State Standards, teacher evaluation, and professional learning. Their new paper is Creating Read more about Bringing It All Together to Promote Student Learning[…]

Studies Cast Doubt on Race to the Top

Posted on October 9, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

Two recent studies have shown that Race to the Top, the Obama Administration’s signature education initiative to help states close achievement gaps, has not lived up to its billing. The first, by Elaine Weiss of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, argues that a lack of time, resources, and tools to address opportunity gaps puts Read more about Studies Cast Doubt on Race to the Top[…]

The Place of Faithfulness in Education

Posted on September 29, 2013September 29, 2013 by coreeducation

Parker Palmer of the Center for Courage and Renewal is a well-known author and speaker in the field of education. He is worried about the current direction of education reform, which seeks to use more value-added measures to judge student, teacher, and school proficiency. Here are his thoughts: “We’re always being asked how effective is Read more about The Place of Faithfulness in Education[…]

Conflicting Poll Results Reflect Americans’ Mixed Attitudes on Education

Posted on September 16, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

In the continuing era of No Child Left Behind, which calls for verifiable data to be used to make decisions about schools and education policy, standardized tests have become increasingly common for most American schools. With more recent questions about how much these test scores should be used to evaluate teachers as well as the Read more about Conflicting Poll Results Reflect Americans’ Mixed Attitudes on Education[…]

Building a Technology Infrastructure for Student Learning Objectives

Posted on August 27, 2013September 12, 2020 by coreeducation

As schools open for the 2013-2014 school year, one of the new acronyms on the lips of many education professionals is SLO. SLOs, or Student Learning Objectives, are an alternative to standardized testing that can demonstrate student, as well as teacher, growth and progress. SLOs have been mandated in many states and districts in order Read more about Building a Technology Infrastructure for Student Learning Objectives[…]

High-Quality Professional Development for Teachers

Posted on August 22, 2013 by coreeducation

As teachers and students are heading back to school, Jenny DeMonte at the Center for American Progress has penned a timely piece about teacher professional development. DeMonte argues that there is a general consensus that most current systems of educator professional development (PD) are not effective, and calls for reforms that align PD with teacher Read more about High-Quality Professional Development for Teachers[…]

Keeping Continuous Growth at Teacher Evaluation’s Core

Posted on August 21, 2013August 21, 2013 by coreeducation

Is there a policy disconnect surrounding teacher evaluation? In a commentary published in Education Week, Stephen Fink, executive director of the University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership, argues that how we use the new evaluation tools will determine whether we simply create the aura of accountability or actually help our teachers grow and improve Read more about Keeping Continuous Growth at Teacher Evaluation’s Core[…]

The Way We Talk: Professionalism

Posted on August 17, 2013 by coreeducation

Conor Williams of the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation takes on those in the “teacher professionalism” camp of education reform. In an article sparked by Harvard Education Professor Jal Mehta’s new book and article, “Why American Education Fails: And How Lessons From Abroad Could Improve It”, Williams speculates that the concept of Read more about The Way We Talk: Professionalism[…]

Beyond Buy-In: Options for Combining Teacher Support with Teacher Effectiveness

Posted on August 1, 2013 by coreeducation

Improving systems for supporting and evaluating teachers is an urgent priority in states and districts all across the country. To learn from this work and strengthen efforts moving forward, the Aspen Institute Education and Society Program has published several profiles of leading efforts in the field. Recently, the Aspen Institute released the next installment: a Read more about Beyond Buy-In: Options for Combining Teacher Support with Teacher Effectiveness[…]