Learning Forward

NEW FROM WALLACE Hours of Opportunity: Volumes I, II, III RAND Corporation, October 2010 Coordinating the work of citywide stakeholders, including government, school districts, and nonprofits, holds the promise of increasing the quality of and participation in after-school programs. This study examines efforts in five cities that received The Wallace […]

Being a step (or two or three) removed from policy makes it easy to forget that humans with particular values craft the guidelines that shape practices in any arena and at any level — local, state, provincial, or federal. Particularly during election season, I’m tempted to let my inner, rather […]

1. Fosters Collective Responsibility Because teachers have traditionally worked and sought professional development on their own, their learning opportunities have benefited only them and the students assigned to their classes. To achieve ambitious school performance and student learning goals, schools must strive to provide effective teaching schoolwide. Effective professional development fosters collective responsibility for all students rather […]

There are several models for how states determine who is on the state board (as well as who acts as the chief state school officer). Do you know how your state works? Download pdf here.  

“Professional development with a sustained focus on subject teaching — strongly tied to the curriculum, instruction, and assessment that students would encounter — produces the most consistent effect on subject teaching and student learning. Other professional development emphases, such as using hands-on activities, organizing cooperative small groups, taking steps to increase […]

Putting data to work “Effectively linking teachers and students: The key to improving teacher quality” Data Quality Campaign, July 2010 High-quality data are critical in developing definitions and policies to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement. This policy brief explores the challenges faced by states and districts and presents examples of successful policies and strategies. While data is useful to policy makers, teachers can use the information to assess […]

A new set of standards places a new set of demands on educators. Use this strategy to help teams and teachers better understand how curriculum content standards and the cumulative progress indicators are used to make instructional and assessment decisions. Teachers can identify essential learnings (content and skills) for their own level by […]

Engage a team of educators in a discussion about your school's commitment to collective responsibility and aspirations for the future.