Studies & Reports
Positive Effects of Online Learning
In this segment, we take a look at a new study that provides the first rigorous and reliable evidence that online learning in middle school can have positive effects on student outcomes. Jessica Heppen, lead author of the study and … Continue
The School Principal As Leader: Guiding Schools To Better Teaching and Learning
What are the most essential responsibilities that characterize effective school leadership? Jody Spiro, director of education leadership for the Wallace Foundation, joins us to discuss the new report, The School Principal As Leader, which highlights the fact that in a … Continue
Why Is Managing Change So Hard?
Of all the aspects of McREL’s Balanced Leadership program, the one that has most captivated school leaders is the research and content related to managing change and understanding that not all change is the same. In this segment, McREL Senior … Continue
What Works: Strategies to End the High School Dropout Epidemic
Dr. Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins Univ. joins us to talk about the new report, Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic, and some of the successful solutions being used around the country to raise high school graduation rates. Continue
Time Well Spent: 8 Powerful Practices of Successful, Expanded-Time Schools
Across the country, momentum is growing for schools to move beyond the traditional calendar of 180 six-and-a- half-hour days. There are at least 1,000 schools in the U.S. right now – from charter schools and turnaround schools to pioneering districts … Continue
What Does the Future Hold For Education?
with Bryan Goodwin and Elizabeth Hubbel
Although much about the future is uncertain, trends reveal patterns of behavior that help to resolve some of that uncertainty. McREL has thoroughly researched and tracked these trends to provide a glimpse into the future world of education. In this … Continue
What Can We Learn From Finland?
When it comes to international education comparisons, the school system in Finland ranks among the very best in the world. So why are Finland’s schools so successful and what can we learn and apply from their model? In this segment, … Continue
Improving College & Career Readiness for High School Graduates
Just 25% of the high school graduating class of 2011 met all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, suggesting they are ready to succeed academically in first-year college courses; the other 75% require some type of remediation to succeed … Continue
How Middle Class Schools Aren’t Making the Grade
A new report offers a surprising look at our middle class schools, which serve the majority of our students and produce the backbone of our workforce. These schools are not getting the attention or the funding they need, according to … Continue
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
Deeper Learning: Preparing Students for a Changing World
America’s schools must shift focus in order to prepare all of our children to succeed in the highly competitive global economy. Business leaders complain that our students entering the workforce today are simply not equipped to solve complex problems, work … 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