Officials at eCore, the University System of Georgia’s online curriculum, collect heaps of student data every year: individual course completion rates, withdrawal rates, and even the number of those identified as at-risk each semester.

Every day, Melanie Clay, dean of eCore, says she looks at the dropout rate and compares it to the rate at the same time last year. “If it’s not going in tContinue Reading »

Don’t judge a (text)book by its cover. Up to one-third of high school math textbooks aren’t about the subject printed on its cover, according to a U.S. Department of Education analysis. (Associated Press)

Will other states follow? Kevin Carey explores the implications of California’s “groundbreaking” plan to make public universities accept online courses, like MOOCs, for credit. (Higher Continue Reading »

As any casual reader of the Quick and the Ed knows, 2012 was the year of the MOOC. Whether it’s individual professors offering free online courses through Udacity, elite colleges signing up with Coursera or EdX to expand their online footprint, or the many efforts underway to determine how to attach formal academic credit to these innovations, 2012 will be remembered as the year that the traditContinue Reading »

The value of online learning. Half of college presidents say online courses are as valuable as their face-to-face counterparts, but less than one-third of Americans agree. (Pew Research Center)

Changing the entryway to teaching. Twenty-five state education chiefs get behind a new report, calling for more accountability and rigor in teacher preparation programs. (Council of Chief State SContinue Reading »

Will this time be different? The potential of MOOCs to deliver a college education to anyone—anywhere—sounds very similar to what was said about correspondence courses in the 1920s. (NPR)

“(College) credit is currently not as it should be; it’s almost a game.” A college graduate explains how he got an associate’s degree without ever stepping foot on campus. (Say Something/The Chronicle oContinue Reading »

How to measure teacher effectiveness. A California report commissioned by the state urges districts, among other things, to stay away from using student test scores in teacher evaluations. While authors cite concerns about reliability and accuracy, educators might feel differently: Our recent survey of teachers showed that more than half agree that student achievement is a good way to measure tContinue Reading »

Performance pay for community college instructors. The faculty union at the City Colleges of Chicago has agreed to a contract that gives pay raises based on student outcomes, like graduation rates or movement from remedial to credit-bearing work, and eliminates the traditional “step” pay increases. (Inside Higher Ed)

Increasing access. California State University will launch an Continue Reading »

Teacher readiness. A teacher trainer writes about edTPA, a new assessment process for teachers-to-be that gauges whether they’re ready for the classroom. Early field-test results showed that many educators lacked the ability to provide useful feedback for students. (Hechinger Report)

Turning around NJ schools. Seven newly established regional centers in New Jersey will serve as hubContinue Reading »

Preparing for classes of 15,000, including the occasional 9-year-old. Short Q&As with professors of MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) and their initial thoughts. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Less pep, please. The problem with the FCAT, Florida’s state tests, is not with the test itself, argues a local columnist, but with the frenzy leading up to it. (Orlando Sentinel)

As the weather heats up and students head off to summer break, enrollment in summer school continues to decline.  Much has been written about how the summer break contributes to learning loss, but one group forgotten in the discussion is those students who need summer school to make up for failed classes.

As the safety net of summer school disappears for failing students, districts are fContinue Reading »