Nation Earns a C in Education Week’s Annual Quality Counts
Education Week released today its annual Quality Counts 2012: The Global Challenge - Education in a Competitive World, which takes a critical look at states' performance in policy, standards, assessments, school accountability, and more in the United States education system among a competitive world. Quality Counts awarded the entire nation a C while Maryland leads with a B-plus, the highest score among all 50 states. This year, nearly half the states scored a C or lower.
Tom Vander Ark Receives the Royal Treatment On Digital Learning
Tom Vander Ark, founder and author of Getting Smart, conducted a podcast interview recently with Scholastic's Ken Royal on his blog The Royal Treatment. Vander Ark articulates the positive ways technology can transform the classroom to improve learning for all students.
5 Features of Blended Environments and More Q&A
I did a short podcast for Ken Royal today. It included the three primary benefits of personal digital learning and the five features of blended learning environments we'll soon see more of.
SXSWedu Announces US Secretary of Education as Keynote
"We are excited to have Arne Duncan give a keynote at SXSWedu 2012. His work as the U.S. Secretary of Education, striving for improvements in the quality of learning in America, has a huge impact on the future of education."
Q&A: Sen. Hill On the Importance of Ed Policy in the Digital Age
Senator Andy Hill, who serves on the Early Learning and K-12 Education, Higher Education and Transportation committees, was elected to the Senate in 2010 with a focus on building a sustainable education budget and future for Washington State. Today, he shares with us the ways that digital learning can deliver better education and reduce costs in light of education budget cuts.
Less Than Half Of the 2011 SAT-Taking Class Is Expected to Succeed In College
This week, the Hewlett Foundation launched a contest to boost assessments in critical thinking and problem solving. Yet, when we take a look at our current testing systems such as the SAT, America's biggest test determining a K-12 culmination of knowledge in math, reading, and writing, this year's 2011 graduates are expected to fall short.
iNACOL Hosts Webinar On Digital Learning Policy Updates
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) plans to host a webinar tomorrow, January 11, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. EST on "Next Steps for Digital Learning Now," which will focus on the continued work of the Digital Learning Council to implement state-level online learning policy changes.
ASCD, Pearson & Marzano Launch New Online Leadership Program
ASCD and Pearson announced today a partnership with Marzano Research Laboratory and Dr. Robert Marzano to develop the new, cloud-based Principal Compass™, a comprehensive online leadership program for school principals and leadership teams.
Washington State Falls Behind In EdReform
The Seattle Times reported this week that the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature hasn't met constitutional obligations to pay for basic education in a lawsuit led by districts, educators, parents, and community groups against the state this week. Lawmakers, who convene this week, are expected to fully implement edreforms by 2018.
What Online Students Want
Online learning. It's a popular buzzword in both higher education and K-12 institutions. Each year, more formal and informal learning opportunities germinate online. Globally, many public institutions believe that "online education is critical to their long term strategy" and the number of online learners is steadily increasing (Allen & Seaman, 2008, p.3).