Systemic challenges in the educator workforce require thoughtful and bold actions, and ESSA presents a unique opportunity for states to reaffirm, modify, or improve their vision of educator effectiveness. This discussion guide focuses on one challenge that states face as part of this work: defining ineffective teacher in the absence ...
Student achievement depends on an array of factors within and beyond the classroom environment. Even within classrooms, a complex interplay of factors affects achievement. These factors include not only the curriculum but also teaching practices. In this paper, we are interested in two associated pilot programs, consisting of professional development, ...
The Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) Community Schools initiative aims to support students, their families, and the broader school community by creating partnerships among district schools and community-based organizations and providers. AIR conducted an evaluation of the implementation of the Community Schools initiative in PPS with all five schools adopting the ...
This spotlight takes a look at the history of Title I, how the program has changed over time, and how it affects children, schools, families and education policy. Experts weigh in on the program's past and future in interviews, briefs, and blogs.
Oklahoma is facing a severe shortage of teachers. Professional development is one potential channel for attracting new teachers, increasing teacher retention, and improving retained teachers’ effectiveness. But a dearth of data about professional development in Oklahoma schools is hindering the state’s efforts to plan for and effectively support teacher professional ...
An intensive content-focused professional development program improved fourth-grade teachers’ knowledge and some aspects of their instruction, but not their students’ achievement, according to a new study by AIR.
States and school districts have made significant investments in systems to measure teacher performance, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning. In this report, AIR experts share their findings from the two-year Beyond Accountability project, in which four school districts identified a specific problem of practice and used plan-do-study-act ...
A new book by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Public Agenda addresses the challenges of teacher evaluation reform by offering school leaders field-tested strategies for collaborating with teachers. Everyone at the Table adds to a body of research suggesting that teacher engagement reduces the likelihood of opposition, ...