Leadership
Content that enables educators, edleaders, organizations and families to increase capacity, apply a growth mindset and implement what’s next in learning on behalf of those entrusted to them.
Q&A: Monica Jordan, Memphis City Schools
As part of professional development and growth for Memphis City School Teachers, video resources are being added into schools. Teachers will gain experience, support and professional development for use of videos in their classrooms. Support for the video solution in schools is being provided by Teachscape, a pioneer in classroom video use.
Smart Cities: Columbus
Two promising developments stood out on two trips to Columbus last month. The first is the four term Mayor’s Education Commission focused on revitalizing Columbus City Schools. The second is first ring suburban districts charting the path forward.
8 Implementation Challenges and Solutions
The Digital Learning Now! Smart Series is a group of collaborative papers that bring together top thinkers on the current trends in teaching and learning to explore the implementation challenges at the intersection of digital learning and the Common Core.
New iNACOL Report: State Policymakers Guide to K-12 Competency Education
Today iNACOL released Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills – A State Policymakers Guide to Competency Education co-authored by Susan Patrick and Chris Sturgis. The paper focuses on key changes policymakers can take to remove barriers and create student-centered learning environments that allow for competency education.
Smart Cities: San Diego
Running the San Diego County Office of Education seems pretty tame after tours of duty as state administrator in Oakland and Compton, but Randy Ward argues that county offices are more relevant than ever. With half a million kids and 42 districts there’s plenty to worry about.
JFF Reports on Competency-Based & Blended Learning
Job's For The Future is a Boston-based intermediary and policy design shop. Since Hilary Pennington opened the place two decades ago they've been advancing the sector with great papers and direct support to partners.
7 Ways States & Districts Can Use Authorizing to Boost Quality & Innovation
Performance contracting is a services agreement with clear outcomes. States and districts have been using performance contracts for public charter schools, private school special education placements, information and business services, and for energy efficiency partnerships.
Writing Across the Curriculum With The Literacy Design Collaborative
The Literacy Design Collaborative is a network of teachers and partners “building out a template-based approach to the literacy demands of college and the workplace, as defined by the Common Core State Standards.” The concept is to give teachers tools (mostly offline but soon to be online) that enable them to transform the Common Core into classroom action by giving teacher the literacy resources to build student’s college ready literacy skills through their existing content lens.
Prototyping Education as a Platform
I wish school were different for my children. As a mom living in a school district with excellent schools, high test scores and property values, research-based practices, and warm, thoughtful educators who care about my kids you would think I would be satisfied. But like generations of parents before me, I want more for my kids than what I had.
States Report Challenges in Their Race to the Top
Last week, the Department of Education released reports for 12 Race to the Top grantees, detailing their progress (or lack thereof) on transforming education at the local level. The reports highlight the second-year work and accomplishments and challenges of implementing new information systems and the required tougher evaluation systems and related collective bargaining agreements.