From Education Week, May 4, 2021, by Madeline Will The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns have permanently shifted the way many industries think about how and where people work. But will school districts follow suit and embrace workplace flexibility? The model of one teacher standing in front of a class for six or seven hours a […]
Education Lessons from the Pandemic
From The Hill, March 13, 2021, by Thomas Toch and Lynn Olson The pandemic relief package that just cleared Congress includes no less than $126 billion for schools, and there’s talk in education circles of using a portion of the money to reduce class sizes by hiring thousands of teachers to increase social distancing in schools. But scattered teacher shortages in parts […]
Eight Ways New Schools Innovate
Forbes, November 19, 2020, by Tom Vander Ark The rapid global shift to hybrid and remote learning—with lots of versions and variability—provoked renewed interest in new school models. And, compared to 20 years ago, the invention opportunity is enhanced by the science of learning, broad agreement on the importance of success skills, and better tools. […]
Rethinking School Staffing
AEI, October 8, 2020, by Nat Malkus As schools confront massive budget shortfalls in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it is critical that they examine how they might use existing funding more efficiently. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus talks with Bryan Hassel about how districts might rethink their staffing models in a way that […]
Report: Pandemic could spur new school staffing approaches
Education Dive, September 28, 2020, by Kara Arundel Overnight, it seemed, some teachers’ roles changed from being leaders in their classrooms to including broader responsibilities as mentors and coaches to other teachers, curriculum designers, technology facilitators, data coaches and assessment designers. What if that were the norm, asks the AIR paper. The differentiated school staffing approach […]
Charters Were Quicker to Provide Instruction, Regular Contact During Closures, Reports Say. But That’s Also How They ‘Keep the Kids,’ One Expert Explains
The 74, August 25, 2020, by Linda Jacobson Charter schools appeared to follow a more routine class schedule and stay in closer contact with students and families following shutdowns than district schools, according to a new analysis out Tuesday from Public Impact and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. But similar percentages of both charter and […]
How Schools Can Redeploy Teachers in Creative Ways During COVID-19
Education Week, August 5, 2020, by Catherine Gewertz Extending the reach of excellent teachers One teacher-leadership model is sparking increased interest as schools grapple with how best to support students. It’s called the Multi-Classroom Leadership model, and it was designed by the education advocacy group Public Impact to help excellent teachers reach more students. More than […]
States Overlook Academics in School Reopening Plans, Analysis Finds
Education Week, July 29, 2020, by Evie Blad State guidance on reopening schools largely focuses on health and safety practices without adequately addressing the challenges of keeping students on-track academically following extended coronavirus closures, a new analysis of state reopening plans finds. The report, released Wednesday by education organizations the Center for Reinventing Public Education and Public […]
6 Big Barriers to Restructuring School Schedules
Education Week, February 25, 2020, by Matt Lieberman A growing body of research provides evidence that schools can benefit from rethinking their schedules, whether by pushing the start time to later in the day, eliminating one day a week, or otherwise reshuffling how students and teachers spend their time together. Before districts and schools can pull the […]
Did Indianapolis students do better after struggling schools were restarted? A new study takes a look.
Chalkbeat, November 1, 2019, by Stephanie Wang When Indianapolis Public Schools “restarted” chronically struggling schools, students who stayed under the new management sometimes made smaller gains on tests compared to their classmates who left, a new study finds. Over time, however, students at the restarted schools closed some of the gaps. The study by Public […]
Of Course Money Matters, Now What?
Education Week, October, 14, 2019, by Rick Hess One of the more frustrating education debates of the past quarter century has been the debate about, as Gary Burtless’s Brookings volume put it back in 1996, Does Money Matter? I mean, it’s tough to think of anywhere else in American life where we’d even have that discussion. If […]
How Can We Extend the Reach of Great Teachers? A Q&A with Stephanie Dean on Opportunity Culture
Ahead of the Heard, August 14, 2019, by Chad Aldeman How should we train teachers? How do we ensure that all students have access to great teaching? Those questions are at the heart of many education policy debates. While it may be difficult to “raise the bar” on the teaching profession by erecting barriers to entry, […]