The Common Core: Meeting Students Where They Are, Preparing Them for Where They Are Going

By Cicely Woodard, 8th Grade Mathematics Teacher, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools

When I first met my student, Mary, in August, she had an infamous mantra. Every time I saw her she said to me, “Mrs. Woodard, I hate math.” Whether in the halls during class change, at my door just before class started, or even in the cafeteria, she had the same greeting. She told me stories of how she had struggled with math in the past and how her parents stayed on her about her failing grades. Enter the Common Core State Standards.

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26
Mar 2014
AUTHOR Cicely Woodard
COMMENTS No Comments

If Tests Aren’t Working for Teachers and Families, They’re Not Working

By Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Executive Director, Data Quality Campaign

Guidera was a panelist and resource expert on testing and assessments at The Hunt Institute’s 2014 Holshouser Legislators Retreat. (To learn more about this issue, see The Institute’s special re:VISION series on educator effectiveness here.) She is also the founder of Data Quality Campaign and leads the efforts to encourage policymakers to increase the availability and use of high-quality education data to improve student achievement. Below she shares how effective student assessments are crucial to improving student outcomes and educator effectiveness.

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18
Mar 2014
AUTHOR Aimee Rogstad Guidera
COMMENTS No Comments

New Initiative to Promote Goals of Higher Standards

The Hunt Institute, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched a new initiative to support the goals of the Common Core State Standards. The organizations will emphasize their importance to students, while also trying to dispel myths about the standards. The new partnership was announced by Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D), a prominent supporter of the common core, during a press conference in Wilmington, on March 10, 2012.

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14
Mar 2014
AUTHOR The Hunt Team
COMMENTS No Comments

Resetting The Leadership Compass to Achieve Student Success

By Frank Till, Superintendent, Cumberland County Schools, North Carolina.

Dr. Till was a panelist and resource expert on improving educator effectiveness through evaluation and compensation reform at The Hunt Institute’s 2014 Holshouser Legislators Retreat. (To learn more about this issue, see The Institute’s special reVISION series on educator effectiveness here.) Under Dr. Till’s tenure, test scores have risen significantly. In the 2011-2012 school year, over 90 percent of schools achieved growth, and all of the high schools were above the state average for graduation. Last year, his school district was one of four finalists for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education, which recognizes large urban districts for significant progress in increasing student performance and closing the achievement gap. Below he shares how his district transformed teaching and learning.

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11
Mar 2014
AUTHOR Frank Till
COMMENTS No Comments

Holshouser Continues Legacy of Bi-Partisan Collaboration

By The Hunt Team

Last month, Ginny Holshouser Mills delivered an impassioned welcome to North Carolina legislators during The Institute’s Holshouser Legislators Retreat – named in honor of her father, Governor Jim Holshouser. She recalled her father’s steadfast commitment to public education and bi-partisan collaboration as he worked tirelessly to improve the lives of North Carolina’s students. Her captivating remarks left all in attendance inspired and thinking about the importance of teamwork for the greater good. The following are excerpts from her speech.

“When he was in office, dad was serious about education, rural healthcare, the environment, and economic development. But after leaving office, dad dedicated most of his public service time to the areas of education and economic development. Why? Because he believed that education mattered more to the future of our state than any other area, and without it, there would be no way to build the North Carolina economy for generations to come. In short, education matters. And, dad thought that there were some things that mattered more than others.

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05
Mar 2014
AUTHOR The Hunt Team
COMMENTS No Comments