Yesterday, the ShankerBlog posted a piece by Doug Harris proposing that states and districts incorporate student growth into teacher and principal evaluations through an initial “screening” process under which ineffective teachers could be initially identified for further examination and support. Sherman Dorn is right to call this a common-sense idea, albeit with some kinks to work out. But whaContinue Reading »

Credit for MOOCs? The American Council on Education will review up to 10 MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, and recommend whether they should be eligible for college credit. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

A 71-year-old dentist with more than $500,000 in debt. The king of all outliers in the ongoing saga of student loan debt woes. (Los Angeles Times)

Keeping the best. D.C.Continue Reading »

Tracking students’ whereabouts. Students at two Texas school districts are required to carry new student IDs that include a tracking chip, meant to help curb truancy. But some students have refused, and they face fines, suspension, or even an involuntary transfer. (WND)

But what if the marshmallow never arrives? A new study questions the famous Stanford “marshmallow test” and finds it onContinue 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 »

“A college system at the breaking point meets the Internet revolution.” Jeff Selingo, a member of Education Sector’s new K20 Task Force, talks MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) and the future of higher education. (On Point)

With a January 2013 deadline pending. School district officials in New York are grappling with the amount of the weight to give student test scores, observations,Continue Reading »

Aspen finalists announced. These 10 community colleges will compete for the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, an award given to institutions that improve completion rates and learning outcomes particularly for low-income or minority students. Winner is announced March 2013. (Aspen Institute)

Practicing by doing. A new elementary school in Oregon will serve as a training Continue Reading »

Key piece to teacher evaluations. When talking about improvements in teacher evaluations, it’s important to consider proper training and support for the principals in charge of them, writes Sara Mead. (Policy Notebook/Education Week)

Getting more degrees in the hands of Americans. A Q&A with the editors of Getting to Graduation, a compilation of 11 essays about the nation’s higher edContinue Reading »

State policies on teacher quality. Sara Mead examines new teacher effectiveness laws in 21 states, including regulations regarding evaluations and personnel decisions like dismissals and retention efforts. The report includes state-by-state summaries. (Bellwether Education)

(Most) everything everyone thinks about education. Three-fourths of Americans believe that the Common Core State StContinue Reading »

Depressing statistic of the day. The cost of college has increased 1,120 percent in the past three decades, outpacing the price of inflation, medical expenses, and food. (Bloomberg)

A more useful way to rank colleges. Enough with college rankings based on aesthetics, says this columnist. What about college rankings based on value and job placement? (Huffington Post)

76 days until 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 »