Ed Policy
Education policy consists of news, commentary and stories that follow legislation and government action in the educational sphere.
NCLB: Under the Bus, But Not a Total Loss
Today AEI released a report, NCLB sanctions: Tests taken, lessons learned. The authors found that “School accountability systems in general, and NCLB in particular, had some beneficial systemic effect.” Some components of NCLB worked, some did not. Based on lessons learned the authors make recommendations for accountability 2.0.
Common Core: A Platform for Equity & Innovation
The Common Core is giant platform for innovation for American education. The Common Core and the digital learning revolution are breaking down boundaries and improving the teaching profession. Most importantly, the Common Core is the promise of better education to the children of this country.
It’s Time for The Next Big Advance: Comparable Growth Measures
The most important next step in the shift to personal digital learning is the need for comparable growth measures for individual students. With the explosion of adaptive assessment and instruction and the widespread use of digital curriculum with embedded assessments, there is a growing need to be able to compare measures of student progress.
Why We Need Common Standards and Better Tests
It’s testing season--and it’s easy to criticize state tests these days. However, those tests represent an important commitment to equity. The Common Core is a big step forward and so are the tests that come with it.
Top 5 Things to Look for in Common Core Materials
The shift in the typical classroom setup has been underway for a while now. A focus on personalized learning in classrooms whose students have a broad range of skill levels and learning styles has meant teachers have had to become adept with new setups (flipped, 1:1 computing, etc.), methods (small group, whole group, etc.), and tools (handheld devices, online assessments, etc.) to help them differentiate instruction.
Improving Teacher Conditions & Careers
As the nation celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week, we couldn’t think of a better way to honor National Teacher Day than with a paper that highlights the positive impacts that blended learning is having on the teaching profession.
DLN Paper Shows How Blended Learning Can Improve Teaching Profession
Digital Learning Now! (DLN), a national campaign under ExcelinEd, today released the seventh white paper in the DLN Smart Series -- “Improving Conditions & Careers: How Blended Learning Can Improve the Teaching Profession.”
NewSchools & New Tools: PD, Games & MOOCs
Tom Friedman summed up what we saw as a major theme of the conference by saying “With edtech, don't lose focus on what matters most - great teachers.” This theme seemed to be echoed in the sessions our team attended and hallway conversations.
Authorizing Great Schools & Encouraging New Models
The good news is that, "More authorizers are adopting practices that will lead to high-performing charter portfolios," according to NACSA in a report released todary, The State of Charter School Authorizing. They concluded that "States are improving their laws and policies on charter accountability, and some are breaking new ground in holding authorizers accountable for outcomes of their work
Blended Learning & The Teaching Profession
Just in time to bust a myth that reared its ugly head in the closing keynoteat the ASU/GSV Summit, Digital Learning Now! today released the "Blended Learning & The Teaching Profession."