A new brief from the National Council on Teacher Quality found that a large majority of states haven't taken steps to make sure their teachers have sufficient knowledge to teach reading. According to the organization, just 11 states require licensing tests for both elementary and special education teachers to measure their knowledge of reading instruction.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 09/13/18
More teachers are requiring students to use assigned devices in their classrooms, but a new report finds inconsistencies with technology adoption in class and at home.
Researchers have identified four conditions that motivate teachers to move forward with technology-driven changes to instructional practices. Top-down coercion isn't one of them.
A study of every state's Every Student Succeeds Act plan found that "while approaches to student success vary, the commitment to data use is clear." The study outlined three "major ways" states are "deploying data to meet their education goals."
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 09/10/18
A new report commissioned by NWEA revealed that parents, teachers and school leaders agree about the importance of measuring students' soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork and view them as equally important as academic skills. However, which skills to teach and who should have the primary role in doing so is an area where the roles disagreed.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 09/05/18
According to Matthew Chingos, director of Urban Institute's Education Policy Program, a handful of states are using new methods of data analysis for identifying economically disadvantaged students as an alternative to the long-used free or reduced-price lunch (FRL) measure.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 09/05/18
A new move by the New Mexico Public Education Department will give school districts in that state 15 more days to prepare for statewide PARCC exams and deliver student test scores before the end of the school year.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/29/18
Reforms put in place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005 turned out to have many positive impacts, according to a new report published by the Education Research Alliance. The move to state-controlled charters boosted student achievement, high school graduation rates, college entry numbers, the college persistence rate and the college graduation rate.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/20/18
After six years of kicking around the official language for an updated Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education bill, Congress and the president have voted and signed the act into law. The Perkins Act, H.R. 2353 (115), which has been considered for reauthorization since 2012, commits between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion for the program over the next six years.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/20/18
A recent draft report on dual credit participation by Texas students confirmed that those who took such courses had better college outcomes than high school graduates who didn't; that they completed their college degrees faster; and that although progress is being made, a participation "disparity" still exists for "less advantaged groups."
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/15/18