Edreports.org Aims to Be 'Consumer Reports' for Common Core Materials

Edreports LogoEdReports.org, a new nonprofit funded with $3 million from the Gates Foundation and the Helmsley Charitable Trust, will launch in winter 2014. According to a statement posted Friday on the group’s website, it will provide free, Web-based reviews of instructional materials, with a focus on “alignment to the Common Core and other indicators of high quality as recommended by educators, including usability, teacher support and differentiation.”

EdReports.org will first review K-8 math materials, with plans to cover will secondary math and K-12 English Language Arts. The Consumer Reports-style reviews will highlight materials that are aligned to new standards, with the goal of helping teachers, principals and district and state officials make informed choices.

The inaugural Content Review Team includes 19 experienced educators, including 10 practicing teachers and nine instructional leaders. With an average of more than a decade of teaching experience among them, the reviewers are math content experts with experience teaching at every grade level. More than fifty percent of the reviewers have leadership experience as math trainers, coaches, coordinators, department chairs or team leaders.

EdReports.org’s board chair is Harvey Mudd College President Maria Klawe. Eric Hirsch, former chief officer of external affairs at the New Teacher Center, is the organization’s executive director. Hirsch has surveyed more than 1.5 million educators over the past decade to help assess and improve school environments, and has advocated for systems of support for new teachers and principals.

About the Author

Christopher Piehler is the former editor-in-chief of THE Journal.

Featured

  • classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.