Game Changers
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Campaigning for hearts, not just minds
Alexander Russo posited a while back that gay marriage campaigns offer worthwhile lessons to education reformers. Yesterday, Mike Petrilli said, "not so much."
One of my favorite things about our friends at Fordham is they love a good debate, even when you are debating them. When I privately disagreed with Mike,…
Teacher Evaluation Implementation: Advocates' Work Continues
Last week, PIE Network policy partner Education Sector released a report concluding that, despite a new and rigorous evaluation system, districts statewide still fail to differentiate between the high-performing and low-performing teachers and principals.
To make sure the new system improves, Washington's Excellent Schools Now Coalition (ESN) is using the results…
CT’s Big Six to Education Committee: “Protect Promise of Statewide Educator Evaluation System”
From PIE member ConnCAN:
Implementation of the new statewide teacher and principal evaluation program, the System for Educator Evaluation and Development (SEED) created as part of last year’s landmark education reform law (Public Act 12-116), will be compromised by a new piece of legislation (S.B. 1097)…
Searching for Excellence: A Five-City, Cross-State Comparison of Charter School Quality
A study from PIE member Thomas B. Fordham Institute Ohio:
"Conducted jointly by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Public Impact, the new research study Searching for Excellence: A Five-City, Cross-State Comparison of Charter School Quality sheds light on charter performance — in Albany, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, and Indianapolis.…
Washington State Senate Passes Education Bills
From PIE member Partnership for Learning in Seattle, WA:
"Last week, the state Senate passed numerous education bills, including three that combine to create a state accountability system focused on improving student and school performance.
SB 5491, passed 47-0, creates an easy-to-understand statewide education dashboard to track and report progress…
Lessons from the Frontlines - Common Core in Alabama
In 2014 and 2015, states across the country will fully implement new math and English language arts Common Core State Standards. But, as we're seeing in full force this week in Alabama, we can't take implementation for granted. Targeted opposition by a vocal minority threatens Alabama's Common Core implementation, offering important…
EdTrust-West: Only Half of California Students Applying for Financial Aid
From PIE Network member The Education Trust-West:
"An analysis of newly available FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and Cal Grant application data by The Education Trust–West finds that low-income California students may be missing out on potentially hundreds of millions of student aid dollars.
The Education Trust–West calculated…
An update on education activity in Michigan from The Education Trust-Midwest
PIE member The Education Trust-Midwest recently provided a comprehensive update on the progress of education issues in Michigan:
Common Core
Bill introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills) HB 4276 seeks to halt Michigan’s participation in Common Core State Standards (CCSS), with McMillin calling the standards an expensive "federal takeover of school curriculum."…
The Nation's Report Card and the "Mega-States"
The Mega-States Issues was released February 21, 2013.
Recently, the National Center on Education Statistics released its Mega-States Issue of the Nation's Report Card, focusing on educational achievement in the states with the largest public school population: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas. The report looked at student achievement from…
When Teachers Choose Pension Plans: The Florida Story
From the Thomas B. Fordham Institute:
In an era of budgetary belt tightening, state and local policy makers are finally awakening to the impact of teacher pension costs on their bottom lines. Recent reports demonstrate that such pension programs across the United States are burdened by almost $390 billion in…
Ed reform too important for partisan gamesmanship
We didn't hear much about improving education throughout the presidential race, which made last week's lavish attention on education reform especially fascinating. The President argued, "To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the education and training that today's jobs require." We couldn't agree more.
Nor could we agree more…
Local School Flexibility Bill Passes in the House in Alabama
The Alabama House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Local School Control Flexibility Act (HB84). The bill, if left unchanged, would free up schools to have more local administrative control and to have greater ability to creatively problem-solve and innovate.
A+ Alabama Education Partnership has posted resources on its website, including the…
Partnership for Learning's "Bill Tracker"
Partnership for Learning is in Olympia nearly every day during legislative session to provide testimony on key education bills that fall under the 2013 policy priorities of the Washington Roundtable and the policy priorities of the Excellent Schools Now coalition.
To help track key education legislation, they've created an accessible but…
MinnCAN's 2013 Policy Platform
On the heels of President Obama's State of the Union, MinnCAN has released their 2013 policy platform for reform opportunities back home in Minnesota.
MinnCAN's platform focuses on:
increasing access to quality pre-K
cultivating a high-quality public charter school sector through greater accountability, flexibility, and support
ensuring schools have and support a great teacher in every classroom…
PIE Network groups have a head start on pre-K
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama proposed “working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America.” He noted that, for poor kids, lack of access to pre-K programs can “shadow them for the rest of their lives.”
The return on investment for…
The Right Mix: Blending a Curriculum for Personalized Learning in L.A.
A new ES Select from Education Sector shows how one Los Angeles School is blending a curriculum for personalized learning.
“Individualized instruction is an ideal that has long been available only to those who could afford to pay for elite tutors. Outside of home schooling, the rest of us have had…
Improving the Effectiveness of Our Teachers Will Help Student Achievement
A new post from the Center for American Progress on how we need to develop high-quality assistance and processes to ensure the continuous improvement of all educators
The Obama administration took bold and controversial steps in the president’s first term to ensure that teachers have the skills to help all students…
Investing in Our Children: A Plan to Expand Access to Preschool and Child Care
A new study from the Center for American Progress on expanding access to preschool:
High-quality early childhood education and care is a game changer. We should work toward a future in which all children from ages 0-5 have access to them. As we continue to combat rising economic inequality, high-quality early…
The 2012-13 State of Education in Tennessee Report
Today, Tennessee SCORE released its 2012-13 State of Education in Tennessee Report. Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, SCORE’s Founder and Chairman, presented the 2012-13 Report and moderated a panel of education stakeholders to reflect on priorities for the year ahead.
The report highlights the state’s academic results, ongoing…
Using Teacher Evaluation Reform and Professional Development to Support Common Core Assessments
The Center for American Progress released a new report showing that new approaches to teacher evaluation, combined with comprehensive professional development for teachers and school leaders and changes in the organization and capacities of school districts, can support the types of teacher knowledge acquisition and changes in instructional practices called for…