AIR, RAND, and Mathematica are collaborating on an evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement initiative. AIR is addressing these questions: What is the impact of the NSI on student outcomes? What aspects of the NSI approach are related to impacts on students?
State implementation of new standards (revising, adapting, and adopting new standards) is a significant undertaking. Many states are just beginning to consider whether to modify existing science standards, adapt standards being used in other states, or develop new ones. This document is intended to guide state boards of education through ...
States and schools receiving funding under a $7 billion Obama administration investment in Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants generally used more of the education principles embedded in those programs than those not receiving such grants, a new report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of ...
A new guide using strict scientific criteria to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of 22 widely adopted comprehensive elementary school reform models rates 15 as “limited” to “moderately strong” in demonstrating positive effects on student achievement.
Schools that show better academic performance than would be expected given characteristics of the school and student populations are often described as “beating the odds.” State and local education agencies often attempt to identify such schools as a means of identifying strategies or practices that might be contributing to the ...
In 2010, Jefferson County (Jeffco) Public Schools in Colorado was awarded a five-year grant to implement the Jeffco Strategic Compensation (StratComp) Initiative. StratComp, which provides professional supports to all educators, is a new teacher evaluation observation system in which administrators and peers conduct observations, job-embedded professional development is aligned to ...
The Plan, Do, Study, Act Process is central to the improvement of instructional routines. Watch one of the Better Math Teaching Network members in real time and in a real classroom setting introduce the Plan, Do, Study, Act, or PDSA, process.
For struggling schools, partnerships with external experts can seem like a critical lifeline. The reality of school turnaround partnerships, however, does not always resemble the ideal. What qualities of an external partnership indicate a greater likelihood for success? What actions by school administrators may make these relationships more effective? ...