In this brief we describe how K-12 and higher education can collaborate on the courses that students first take when they begin postsecondary education. Students perform better and stick with higher education longer when they have a smooth, seamless transition...
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In this brief we discuss the importance of aligning teacher preparation programs with the classroom experience in K-12 schools. Until recently, most preparation programs focused solely on inputs rather than how their graduates performed with students. Improving the standards for...
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Measuring what students know and can do is an essential part of teaching, and like many teaching practices, designing assessments is sophisticated work. In this toolkit, produced under contract as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Reform Support Network...
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This report provides our findings on how district and state leaders can improve feedback and support for teachers. Based on interviews with five school districts spanning urban, suburban and rural areas, we identified five essential practices: (1) Promoting a culture...
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As the state of Ohio looks to deregulate its education system in favor of for individualization and customization, our brief looks at the ways Ohio policymakers can use this new flexibility to increase student achievement. Based on research of other...
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Classroom observations give teachers the opportunity to receive meaningful and direct feedback about their practice. But many observers still struggle to give teachers the kind of feedback that would help them improve instruction. In this publication we summarize research, lessons...
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If states and districts want new evaluation systems to improve teaching and raise student achievement, they will need to provide the right resources and supports to guide implementation. This brief introduces and sums up the series, in which we provide practical advice to help leaders develop or refine their teacher evaluation and support systems.
Classroom observations are an essential component of all rigorous teacher evaluation systems. But in far too many schools, observations are treated as a compliance exercise rather than an opportunity to improve teacher practices. In this brief, we provide state and...
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Students recognize effective teaching when they experience it, and they spend more time observing their teachers than anyone else. But only a handful of states and districts use student surveys in educator evaluations, mostly because of opposition from teachers and...
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Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) are a way to measure student growth and reinforce effective teaching practices, but they can also be resource-intensive and challenging to implement. In this brief, we explain how state and district leaders can overcome these challenges...
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