Many performance-based compensation systems use standardized test scores to calculate student growth, but for teachers of nontested grades and subjects (those without standardized assessments), alternative approaches may be needed. This report discusses different performance-based compensation structures that include teachers of nontested grades and subjects and explores different options for measuring ...
Many schools across America must take the budget bull by the horns and decide whether cutting class size is the right way to do it. In this blog post, Michael Hansen suggests how creating larger classes with smart teacher-assignment policies, may make students better off while simultaneously reducing costs. ...
Effective approaches to improving teacher quality are hard to find—particularly teacher professional development programs. AIR led an effort to scale, refine, and test MyTeachingPartner-Secondary, a teacher professional development program created by researchers at the University of Virginia.
Most public school teachers are "highly qualified" under the terms of the No Child Left Behind Act, but many low-income and minority students experience inequities when it comes to the qualifications of the teachers in their classrooms, according to a new U.S. Department of Education report written by experts with ...
Where can a math or English or history teacher go to discover ways to integrate and assess college and career readiness standards and skills in their classes? In this blog post, AIR's Catherine Jacques suggests working with career and technical education teachers, who have used this kind of instruction for ...
As the national economy expands in areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), the teaching of this content has become vital for adults to succeed in the workplace. AIR developed new and innovative ways to improve the teaching of STEM content to adult education students using open educational resources ...
In this commentary published in the Hill, Dan Goldhaber, AIR vice president and director of CALDER, and John C. White, Louisiana state superintendent of education, discuss the importance of formal mentoring for teachers during their career training.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states the authority and flexibility to turn around their lowest performing schools. In this blog post, Allison Gandhi asks if states can succeed where federal policy requirements have run into walls, using the success of the Massachusetts Wraparound Zone initiative as an example. ...
New U.S. Department of Education draft rules aim to hold teacher-training programs accountable for the quality of their graduates. In this blog post, Marianne Lemke discusses what's at stake.