Teachers Leading the Way
By Andrew Amore, Associate Director of Campaigns for Education, Center for American Progress
Preparing our students for life in the 21st century requires a rethinking of teacher roles within schools and districts. And as teachers and advocates have said for some time, the Common Core has the best opportunity to successfully prepare our students when teachers have a meaningful voice in its implementation. Understanding this potential, more than two-thirds of districts are now utilizing teachers to solve the critical problem of finding quality curriculum aligned to the Common Core, according to a recent report by the Center on Education Policy.
Read More →Improving Quality Teacher Prep Programs in Mathematics
By Dr. William Schmidt, Michigan State University Distinguished Professor, Director of the Center for the Study of Curriculum, and Co-Director of the Education Policy Center
There are few topics in education policy that attract more attention than teacher preparation. Whatever resources we devote to education, and however many policy changes we enact such as the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, at the end of the day it is teachers that are expected to play the essential role. It is of the utmost importance that we be able to identify what makes a good teacher, and more importantly, that we figure out how we can make people into better teachers. This brings us to the rub: Despite the sincere efforts of many researchers, we still lack a clear-cut understanding of what makes for a high-quality teacher preparation program. The evidence to date is mixed at best that traditional metrics of teacher quality – such as certification scores, higher degrees, experience, etc. – make a difference.
Read More →Talking to Parents Begins with Listening to Parents
By Paige Kowalski, Director, State Policy and Advocacy, Data Quality Campaign
In the current education space, there are suddenly numerous groups and spokespeople to “get the parent voice” out there in the debate. We have parent groups that want to see Common Core State Standards replaced, or student privacy better protected, or better teacher quality policies enacted. Parent voices are critical to listen to because they are voicing real concerns about their children education. But, as a parent myself, I wonder if it is truly possible for a single group’s voice to represent a body of such diverse individuals. After all, the only real thing that parents have in common is the single decision to become a parent in the first place. It is possible that the only parent voice that might be heard is simply the loudest and not the most representative of views. How can we better understand what parents really want? How can we make sure that we are using our communications opportunities to provide real, accurate, and clear information to parents about current education policies and practices?
Read More →Improving the Quality of Teachers and Principals
By The Hunt Team
“This is an excerpt from the overview of a five-part re:VISION special series on improving the effectiveness of the nation’s teachers and leaders. The Hunt Institute’s re:VISION focuses on critical issues in education policy – highlighting key research for policymakers and prompting discussion of solutions within states and across the nation. The ‘teacher effectiveness series’ is intended to provide state-level policymakers with a digest of existing research and current state efforts around teacher preparation, evaluation, compensation, and school leadership. Each of the briefs in this series will provide a deeper exploration of the challenges states are facing in the area of educator effectiveness reform and offer considerations for policymakers.”
A talented, well-trained, and committed workforce is the life-blood of any enterprise. Ask any successful business or military leader. The most successful companies spend considerable time, energy, and resources to identify, recruit, and hire the best and brightest; then they work at keeping them through optimal working conditions, incentives, and pay.
The military invests mightily in developing and honing the skills of its members; it pays for additional education and it invests in talent. The security of our country depends on it.
Read More →Making The Case: The Importance of a Rigorous Science Education
By The Hunt Team
Innovation and ingenuity have long been hallmarks of the U.S.’ economy. Our competitive strength is built on the legacy of great innovators – from Alexander Graham Bell and Lewis Latimer to the Wright brothers and Steve Jobs. The U.S. has prized its status as a leader in developing creative thinkers and entrepreneurs, but by many estimates, it is losing ground.
In 2012, foreign companies filed more than half of U.S. technology patent applications, continuing a trend that first began in 2009.1 In addition, the U.S.’ share of high-tech exports is decreasing. Today, China is the single largest exporter of high-tech products.2
Read More →NC Superintendent’s shines light on CCSS history, future
North Carolina’s State Superintendent June Atkinson shares her first-hand knowledge of how the Common Core State Standards were created in her blog, “Common Core – It’s About Reading and Math.” Superintendent Atkinson explains that she met with about 45 other state superintendents in Chicago a few years ago to discuss how they could work together to determine what students should know in mathematics and English language arts.
Read More →U.S. Department of Education Releases First-Ever State-by-State Graduation Rates
As reported in the Huffington Post, the U.S. Department of Education released “state-by-state four-year high school graduation rates” using a new, more rigorous measurement formula that is being used by all states to calculate graduation rates – allowing for cross-state comparisons. The new measurement formula is viewed as superior to previous “flawed” formulas and reports Iowa, Wisconsin, and Vermont with the highest graduation rates.
Read More →Majority of Americans Believe the Common Core Will Help Education in the U.S. be more Globally Competitive
The recently released Phi Delta Kappan(PDK)/Gallup Poll shows that “most Americans (53%) believe that the common core standards will allow U.S. schools to compete globally, and that three of four Americans believe CCSS will provide consistency in the quality of education between school districts and states.” This is the first year that the poll, which measures the public’s attitudes toward public schools, includes questions about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Half of those polled believe the CCSS will improve the quality of education in their community’s schools.
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