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component:where.staffing-and-scheduling

EdTech

NYC Chancellor Struggling to Upend Seniority Clause with City Teachers

Joel Klein tries to fight for rookie teachers, who are most at risk for being laid off but who have the most potential for making lasting influences on students. His barrier: the teacher's union, which fights to preserve the positions of older teachers. The real problem: we don't have the right data to show who should stay or who should go.

Personalized Learning

Flipping Florida: The New Employment Bargain

The only thing at stake is the future of American. Two big dramas involving teachers and testing are at play in education. My last post discussed the $350m federal grant program that is likely to lock in another decade of bubble sheet tests rather than a forward leaning framework open to the flood of keystroke data telling us more than we ever knew about achievement, motivation, and learning modality.

Personalized Learning

Step Function Improvement

As the learning revolution matures, it is likely to be turbocharged by lessons about the neuropsychology of learning and motivation.  I don’t think we know much about this and don’t use what we know very effectively, but we are likely to learn far more than we know in the coming decade.

Personalized Learning

Postcards from 2015

Here’s a couple snapshots of high school a few years from now using currently available tools and a few in development.  These pictures are student-centric; there are obviously a number of teachers and learning professional involved in the success of each of these students.  Comments, suggestions, alternatives welcome.

Personalized Learning

Long Day, Long Year, More Learning

Checker Finn makes the case for a long school day and year in this WSJ piece.  Here’s the problem statement: In the face of budget shortfalls, school districts in many parts of the United States today are moving toward four-day weeks. This is despite evidence that longer…

Personalized Learning

One Solution to Middle School: Eliminate Them

National Journal is exploring the ‘forgotten middle’ grades this week.  I’m not a fan of middle schools and find the growing urban trend toward K-8 or 6-12 configurations to be promising. K-12 charter networks like Aspire confirm this trend by creating paired elementary and secondary schools. Giant urban…