Preparing School Leaders for Success

A growing body of research points to the ways in which principals influence teachers, classrooms, and, ultimately, student achievement. A new study by RAND examines the New Leaders Aspiring Principals program. Aspiring Principals has three core features: selective recruitment and admission, training and endorsement, and support for principals early in their tenure. RAND’s report is Read more about Preparing School Leaders for Success[…]

Recommendations to Strengthen Teacher Preparation & Diversity

A new report from Educators for Excellence New York outlines the importance of teacher preparation and offers recommendations for increasing teacher diversity.   Ready for Day One and Beyond is a new paper written by teachers on the Educators for Excellence New York Policy Team. The paper starts with two important questions:   1. What Read more about Recommendations to Strengthen Teacher Preparation & Diversity[…]

How State and Local Leaders Can Strengthen Teacher Pipelines

Diverse, learner-ready teachers in the classroom means students have access to the instruction and learning needed to meet education goals. But the reality is that too many students are without these teachers State and district leaders can change that by using data to make informed policy decisions that strengthen their teacher pipelines. Data Quality Campaign’s Read more about How State and Local Leaders Can Strengthen Teacher Pipelines[…]

Disrupting teacher prep through virtual field experiences

Recently, Susanne Nobles, writing for the Christensen Institute, explored the topic of virtual field experiences as a method for infusing diverse classroom experiences in all teacher preparation programs, regardless of location. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The dilemma is this: Preservice teachers need to practice teaching many times and in many places and ways. Read more about Disrupting teacher prep through virtual field experiences[…]

Instructional Coaches: The Heroes of the Golden Age of Educational Practice

Recently in the Fordham Flypaper, Michael Petrilli wrote about the practice and promise of instructional coaches. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Whether initiated from the bottom-up or the top-down, any effort to help educators align their practice with the best evidence is going to succeed or fail on the strength of its implementation. This Read more about Instructional Coaches: The Heroes of the Golden Age of Educational Practice[…]

Taking the Guesswork Out of Teacher Hiring

Recently in Education Week, Madeline Will reviewed new teacher hiring practices designed to predict the longevity and effectiveness of teachers before they begin teaching. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Sojourner and other researchers partnered with the Minneapolis school district to determine whether teachers’ resumes can predict how effective they’ll be in the classroom and Read more about Taking the Guesswork Out of Teacher Hiring[…]

March Issue Brief – Brain Based Teaching

As scientists learn more about how the human brain works, educators must stay abreast of discoveries to align teaching practices with new understandings of human learning. Brain science helps us understand how to build on students’ culture and experience to improve learning and underscores the importance of emotion and relationships to the learning process. Knowing Read more about March Issue Brief – Brain Based Teaching[…]

Rethinking the way we Coach, Evaluate, and Appreciate Teachers

Over five decades as a teacher, central office administrator, principal, leadership coach, and research reader, Kim Marshall has honed a system for  supervising, coaching, and evaluating teachers. Here are the key elements: Short, frequent, unannounced classroom visits—at least ten a year for each teacher—replacing traditional formal observations; A humble, curious, low-tech approach to visits: observing Read more about Rethinking the way we Coach, Evaluate, and Appreciate Teachers[…]

Preparing All Learners for an Uncertain Future of Work

Recently in Getting Smart, Katherine Prince of Knowledgeworks discussed a new foundation for readiness for work in the 21st century. Excerpts of the piece appear below: From today’s vantage point, we can identify two critical drivers of change shaping the future of readiness for further learning, work and life: the rise of smart machines and Read more about Preparing All Learners for an Uncertain Future of Work[…]

New Evidence Bolsters the Argument for Arts Education

“Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences,”  reports on a first-of-its-kind arts education experiment from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The authors, Daniel H. Bowen of Texas A&M, and the University of Missouri’s Brian Kisida, find measurable academic, social, and emotional outcomes associated with arts education for elementary and middle school students. Bowen Read more about New Evidence Bolsters the Argument for Arts Education[…]

Anxiety and Depression as this Generation’s Major Problem

Most teens see anxiety and depression as “major problems” among their peers, according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. It suggests that 7 in 10 teens ages 13 to 17 think those issues are more prevalent than bullying, drug addiction, drinking alcohol, poverty, teen pregnancy and gangs. Concern about mental health Read more about Anxiety and Depression as this Generation’s Major Problem[…]

Reframing Education Data for Equity

State leaders have outlined bold equity goals to improve the outcomes of all students. But these goals can’t be met if the data used to measure and support them reflect bias. The Data Quality Campaign’s latest blog series dives into the concept of asset framing and examines how data can be better constructed, presented, and Read more about Reframing Education Data for Equity[…]

The Impact of Faculty Attitudes About Intelligence

A new study suggests that faculty members’ attitudes about intelligence can have a major impact on the success of students in science, mathematics and technology courses. Students see more achievement when their instructors believe in a “growth mind-set” about intelligence than they do learning from those who believe intelligence is fixed. The impact was found Read more about The Impact of Faculty Attitudes About Intelligence[…]

Retaining Teachers: Fostering Conditions Where Talent Thrives

Education Evolving has launched a new blog series focused on the growing problem of teacher turnover, and telling the stories of schools, strategies, programs, and leaders that buck the trend. Teachers have long been identified as the number one in-school factor that influences student outcomes. Conversely, teacher turnover is correlated with lower student outcomes and Read more about Retaining Teachers: Fostering Conditions Where Talent Thrives[…]

Inequity in Education Funding

Predominantly white school districts in the US get $23 billion a year more than districts that educate mostly non-white children, an education advocacy group says. A report from EdBuild, which promotes equity in public schools, found that the average white school district got $13,908 for every student in 2016, compared to $11,682 per student in Read more about Inequity in Education Funding[…]

Four Ways to Transform the Professional Learning Experience

In the February 2019 issue of Language Magazine, Pam Allyn, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Development, Scholastic Education, and Dr. Carol Chanter, Senior Vice President, Professional Learning Services, Scholastic Education, outlined four ways to cultivate learning experiences for educators that are both effective and enjoyable. 1. Blend it A mix of face-to-face learning with online Read more about Four Ways to Transform the Professional Learning Experience[…]