'SOFT SKILLS' PUSHED AS PART OF COLLEGE READINESS

Some of the News Fit to Print
ABOUT HIGHER ED
COLLEGE CREDIT EYED FOR ONLINE COURSES
While massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are still in their early days, the race has begun to integrate them into traditional colleges — by making them eligible for transfer credits, and by putting them to use in introductory and remedial courses. On Tuesday, the American Council on Education, the leading umbrella group for higher education, and Coursera, a Silicon Valley MOOC provider, announced a pilot project to determine whether some free online courses are similar enough to traditional college courses that they should be eligible for credit. The article is in The New York Times.
PANEL: HIGHER ED. INSTITUTIONS HAVE A ROLE IN TEACHER EVALUATION REFORM
As states begin to roll out new systems for teacher evaluation, institutions of higher learning should position themselves to be partners in the process and incorporate the new measures into their teacher prep programs. That was one of the key takeaways from a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress Tuesday titled “The State of Teacher Evaluation Reform: State Education Agency Capacity and the New Teacher Evaluation Systems.” Forum speaker Patrick McGuinn, associate professor of political science and education at Drew University, said teacher evaluation systems represent the next “big frontier” in education reform. The article is in Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

ABOUT K-12
PROBLEMS WITH D.C. TEACHER RETENTION REPORT
A new report says that the D.C. schools system, operating under reforms instituted by former chancellor Michelle Rhee, is holding onto its best teachers at nearly twice the rate as its lowest performers, though teacher turnover is still too common. But there are issues with the report that raise serious questions about its conclusions. The report, according to this story by my colleague Emma Brown, was conducted by TNTP, formerly called The New Teacher Project, which Rhee founded before she ran the D.C. schools. (Incidentally, that Rhee started TNTP was not mentioned in this Washington Post editorial which praised the report, and, by extension, Rhee’s reforms. Rhee’s successor, Kaya Henderson, has continued the Rhee reform program.) This post is in The Washington Post’s The AnswerSheet blog.
'SOFT SKILLS' PUSHED AS PART OF COLLEGE READINESS
To make it in college, students need to be up for the academic rigor. But that's not all. They also must be able to manage their own time, get along with roommates, and deal with setbacks. Resiliency and grit, along with the ability to communicate and advocate, are all crucial life skills. Yet, experts say, many teenagers lack them, and that's hurting college-completion rates. As educators look for ways to turn that showing around, many schools are incorporating the softer, noncognitive skills into college-readiness efforts. The ability to solve problems and be resourceful are viewed by some experts as being as important as mastering mathematics and reading. Helping teenagers develop those skills is being addressed in high schools, college-freshman orientation, youth-development organizations, and parenting programs. The article is in Education Week.