Marc Tucker, a long-time proponent of studying high-performing international education systems as a means of improving American education, provided some recent reflection on Shanghai’s students continuing to score highly in PISA, one of the premier means of comparing international student achievement. Marc Tucker explains how Shanghai is able to both produce high quality beginning teachers Read more about Shanghai’s Teacher Development System[…]
Following on the heels of the announcement by the AFT about a “bar-exam for teachers” and announcements by states of prospective teacher tests that include practical teaching elements, the educational testing giant ETS will begin offering their own version of this sort of test. Field-testing began last month for the Princeton, N.J.-based Educational Testing Service‘s Read more about ETS Wades Into Market for Teacher-Performance Exams[…]
ASCD, the global education community, announced new features available on its free common core implementation tool ASCD EduCore. For the new year, the updated EduCore website features simpler navigation and expanded resources. Launched in August of 2012, the free EduCore digital tool is available for educators implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in both Read more about ASCD’s Free EduCore™ Common Core Implementation Tool[…]
The National Education Association (NEA), Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ), and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) are launching a groundbreaking initiative to advance teaching as a 21st-century profession. The Teacher Leadership Initiative (TLI) will support accomplished teachers in leading effective pedagogical, policy, and union reforms. In the 2014 pilot year, TLI will engage Read more about Teacher Leadership Initiative Launches[…]
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released a new report arguing that teacher training programs don’t do enough to prepare new teachers for classroom management. Based on syllabi that NCTQ procured from various teacher training programs, they found that a supposedly integrated classroom management curriculum across classes and student teaching is often a Read more about Teachers in Training Don’t Learn Classroom Management[…]
The National Academy of Education recently released its report, “Evaluation of Teacher Preparation Programs: Purposes, Methods, and Policy Opinions”. The report begins by suggesting that there is consensus on the importance of teachers for students but also admits that there is far from a consensus on how exactly teachers become “good” educators. There is a Read more about Evaluation of Teacher Preparation Programs[…]
Recognizing the rising pressure to hold teachers and administrators responsible for student achievement and increased pressures on new teachers, the University of Southern California’s college of education is offering its graduates a guarantee – if they’re struggling with part of their jobs, the college will have their backs. In a new program announced recently, all Read more about USC’s School of Education announces long-term support for graduates[…]
As advanced technologies enter the mainstream of everyday life, more than half of K-12 school districts are already offering – or interested in starting – blended and online learning programs. Though new school programs are evolving to personalize learning for every student using new tools and new methodologies, a national survey shows that a paltry Read more about Partnering for Success: A 21st Century Model for Teacher Preparation[…]
A new report from Education Next demonstrates the academic differences between those entering the teaching profession in recent years and those entering in decades past. The numbers suggest that the teaching profession is benefiting from higher numbers of academic high achievers than has been the case in the past. Dan Goldhaber and Joe Walch, writing Read more about New teachers outpace their veteran peers on SAT scores[…]
How well educators manage to adjust the Common Core to the needs of each student could prove pivotal academically, but also politically, as the standards themselves face skepticism in the states. This special report looks at the challenges educators face in adapting the standards for students with disabilities, English-learners, and gifted students. The special report Read more about Special Report on Diverse Learners and the Common Core[…]
Seven states announced ambitious efforts to make it tougher to get into teacher training programs – and tougher to get a license after graduating. Under a two-year pilot program created by the Council of Chief State School Officers, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Washington will pilot the teacher preparation changes. Among the steps Read more about Seven States will Pilot Teacher Preparation Changes[…]
With Common Core (CCSS) in various stages of implementation in 46 states, one might expect the majority of teachers to be making changes that align with the standards, even if testing for CCSS will not start until next year. A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which supports Common Core, considers this expectation. Read more about Teachers Are Supposed to Assign Harder Books, but They Aren’t Doing It Yet[…]
Teachers now have more education data at their fingertips than ever before. Through powerful technology solutions, they can aggregate, disaggregate, and parse data; generate reports; and examine trends. But what should educators do with the data now that they have it? In this month’s issue brief, we focus on data-driven instruction, pulling together resources for Read more about November Issue Brief: Data-Driven Instruction[…]
As schools, classrooms, and districts move toward more sophisticated instructional technologies to successfully implement higher college- and career-ready standards, educator preparation programs must equip future educators with the necessary skills to use technology effectively to personalize instruction and increase student engagement. A new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education’s Center for Digital Learning, Expert Read more about How to Prepare Teachers in the Digital Age[…]
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), one of the leading organizations providing accreditation for teacher education programs across the country, recently released a new set of standards that its leaders hope will “elevate the teaching profession and improve outcomes for students.” Mary Brabeck, dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Read more about Why the New Teacher Ed. Standards Matter[…]
As the internationally benchmarked Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are adopted in states across the country, educators are seeking ways to support an increasingly diverse student population to meet these more demanding expectations. The likelihood that students will achieve the aims of the standards will be substantially shaped by how well teachers teach challenging academic Read more about Student Performance Assessments and Teacher Learning[…]