Archive
component:for-whom.reports
Blending Math Games Gets Big Results in Big Trials
MIND Research Institute, an southern California nonprofit, developed an innovative way to teach math—and it works. Trials involving almost 60,000 students indicate that it typically doubles math gains. They use visual games that all involve moving a penguin named Jiji across the screen. It’s all done without a word of instruction. The visual approach works for visual learners, students new to English, or students experiencing reading difficulties—in other words, it works for most kids.
Building a Thoughtful Blend
Innosight Institute’s report The Rise of Blended Learning defines it as “any time a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace.” To their definition, I add a requirement that the shift to an online environment for part of the student is intended to boost learning and operating productivity. Here's a description of rotation and flex schools and tools.
Report: Innovations at Scale
Jobs for the Future (JFF) published "Innovations at Scale: How Virginia Community Colleges Are Collaborating to Improve Developmental Education and Increase Student Success," a report by Rose Asera targeting ways that we can meet college completion goals, this month.
Report: From Remediation to Acceleration
Jobs for the Future released "From Remediation to Acceleration: Early Lessons from Two Philadelphia Back on Track Schools," a report that discusses how to bring students in drop-out recovery programs up to speed and ready for college, this October.
Staff Picks: Ed Reform, Good Work, and Getting Smart
This week, Tom picks the Foundation for Excellence in Education's Roadmap for Reform, the Nation's Digital Learning Report Card and the 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning. Karen picks Tom's Good Work Sunday series on Getting Smart, Caroline picks Tom's new book Getting Smart, and Sarah picks the "I'm Getting Smart" series on Facebook and Twitter.
Houston Schools Increase Proficiency With Math Games
MIND Research Institute, a non-profit neuroscience and education researcher, announced this week that eight Houston-area schools using MIND's visual math game ST Math® achieved substantial increases in math proficiency this last year.
Good Assessment Key to Strong Accountability
Some #EdReform, #EdEquality, and #EdPolicy colleagues thought my blog Assessment Will Advance When it Moves Into the Background suggested that I didn’t support the idea of summative assessments and their associated use in school accountability systems. This section may have begged the question: We’ll need to invent our way out of…
Report: Assessments for College Readiness in Florida
Jobs for the Future (JFF) released "Testing Ground: How Florida Schools and Colleges Are Using a New Assessment to Increase College Readiness," a report by Pamela Burdman that describes how Florida's Division of Colleges and K-12 partners designed and launched a new placement test as a part of a greater college-readiness plan.
Good Evaluation Requires Good Data—And Sound Judgment
The superintendents and school district human resource officers I spoke this week said they are struggling with the political and technical aspects of linking student achievement data to teacher evaluation. The policy analysts and labor economists that discussed incorporating data into teacher evaluation at PIE-Net this week admitted…
Teaching Math Without Words—And Getting Big Gains
Mathematical thinking is a problem-solving skill but we use a lot of abstract symbols and words to try to teach kids math procedures. Just look at a textbook or observe a middle school classroom. Our text-based approach works for some students but is confusing and complicated for too many,…