Studies & Reports
A Surprising Look at Teacher Professional Development
A new study from American Institutes for Research and MDRC looks at teacher professional development and finds that it is substantially less effective than had previously been thought. Andrew Wayne, principal research analyst at AIR, explains the results and what … Continue
Teacher and Leader Effectiveness in High-Performing Education Systems
What lessons can we learn from three of the highest-performing education systems in the world? Robert Rothman from the Alliance for Excellent Education joins us to discuss the key findings of their new report exploring teacher and leader effectiveness in Finland, Singapore and Ontario, Canada. Continue
Progress and Challenge: Reducing the High School Dropout Epidemic
A recent report demonstrates that while there are many challenges, there is good news to report and progress being made in efforts to end the national dropout epidemic, even in schools from lower-income, urban and rural districts that were previously thought to be hopeless. Continue
Return on Educational Investment: An Evaluation of U.S. Educational Productivity
A year-long study of the efficiency of the American public education system is the subject of this update from the Center for American Progress. The study is the first-ever attempt to evaluate the productivity of almost every major school district in the country by measuring the academic achievement a school district produces relative to its educational spending. Continue
Schools Boards in America: A Flawed Exercise in Democracy
Gene Maeroff, a senior fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University, provides the unique perspectives of both a scholar and a school board president, in his new book, which takes an inside look at the uniquely American institution: the school board. Continue
Pathways to Prosperity: College Isn’t For Everyone
William Symonds, director of the Pathways to Prosperity program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, discusses a new report which contends that the U.S. places way too much emphasis on a single pathway to success for high school students: attending and graduating from a four-year college. Continue
The American School Superintendent in 2010: A Snapshot
Theodore J. Kowalski, co-author of "The American School Superintendent: 2010 Decennial Study," discusses the findings in this new report, which takes a definitive look at the state of school leadership in the U.S. and provides a national perspective about the roles and responsibilities of contemporary district superintendents. Continue
10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning
Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and head of the Alliance for Excellent Education, is behind a major new initiative to make digital learning a significant part of all school curricula. In this update, Wise outlines the "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning" that he believes all schools must incorporate if we are to better prepare students, while addressing budgetary and teacher shortfalls. Continue
An Update On 21st Century Learning Skills
While schools talk about the importance of preparing students for the 21st century, technology expert Ian Jukes explains that we are still not equipping our students to be able to function in that world. In this update, he reiterates the five key 21st century skills that our schools must teach students if they are to be successful. Continue
The Common Core and College and Career Readiness
Increasing the college and career readiness of our high school graduates is one of the goals of the Common Core State Standards. But where do we stand today in terms of student readiness? Scott Montgomery of the ACT provides some thought-provoking answers in this update. Continue
Parents See the Value of STEM Education, But Think Their Own Schools Are Doing Fine As Is
The American public believes it’s crucial for students to develop strong math and science skills because that will translate into better jobs and college opportunities, according to a new Public Agenda report, Are We Beginning to See the Light? But … Continue
Closing the Talent Gap: Why Schools Must Change How They Attract and Retain New Teachers
Of all the controllable factors in an education system, the most important by far is the effectiveness of the classroom teacher. The world’s best performing school systems — Singapore, Finland and South Korea — have strategic and systematic approaches to … Continue
Transforming Math and Science Education: A Roadmap for Schools
Michelle Cahill discusses the Carnegie Corporation’s report, The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy in this update. As the introduction to the report notes, “The nation’s capacity to innovate for economic growth and … Continue
Using Data as a Leading Indicator for School Improvement
While test scores measure student progress, they are lagging indicators of performance because they look backward and don’t show the whole picture or provide school districts with the criteria needed for making improvements. Mike Vanairsdale, executive development performance consultant at … Continue
Changing the Odds for Student Success: What Matters Most
Nationally, almost one third of students fail to graduate on time from high school. A third of those that do graduate are unprepared to succeed in college or in the workforce. Those sobering statistics were the impetus for new research … Continue
Responding to Cyberbullying and Sexting Outside of School
Nancy Willard, Executive Director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, answers the legal question that many administrators ask about off-campus incidents of cyberbullying and inappropriate texting: what is the extent of my authority and how do I respond? Continue