Some of the News Fit to Print
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NEW EDUCATION STANDARDS FACE GROWING OPPOSITION
The Common Core, a set of standards for kindergarten through high school that has been ardently supported by the Obama administration and many business leaders and state legislatures, is facing growing opposition from both the right and the left even before it has been properly introduced into classrooms. Tea Party conservatives, who reject the standards as an unwelcome edict from above, have called for them to be severely rolled back. Indiana has already put a brake on them. The Michigan House of Representatives is holding hearings on whether to suspend them. And citing the cost of new tests requiring more writing and a significant online component, Georgia and Oklahoma have withdrawn from a consortium developing exams based on the standards. At the same time, a group of parents and teachers argue that the standards — and particularly the tests aligned with them — are simply too difficult. The article is in The New York Times.
WHY STATES ARE BACKING OUT ON COMMON STANDARDS AND TESTS
Charles Chieppo and Jamie Gass write this commentary forThe Hechinger Report: The bloom is surely off the rose of Common Core, the new English and math standards pushed by Washington, D.C. education trade organizations and the Obama administration. In the last few months, a number of states have paused or de-funded implementation of the standards; others have pulled out of the consortia developing tests tied to them. In recent years, the Obama administration has made a number of federal goodies, such as Race to the Top grants and No Child Left Behind waivers, contingent on states’ adoption of Common Core standards and assessments. But now that Race to the Top money has been spent, states are belatedly taking a clear-eyed look at Common Core. High-performing states in particular won’t like what they see.
WASH., 2 OTHER STATES GET FEDERAL WARNING ON TEACHER EVALUATION
U.S. education officials announced Thursday that three states have not fulfilled their promises to bring their teacher and principal evaluation systems up to federal standards, but Washington, Oregon and Kansas have been given one extra year to finish the work. The new teacher evaluation systems were part of the requirements for waivers from the federal education law known as "No Child Left Behind." If the states meet the requirements of the waiver, they won't need to have every child meet state academic standards in reading and math by January 2014. So far, 40 states and the District of Columbia have been granted a one- or two-year reprieve from the requirements of the U.S. education law, passed more than a decade ago. A group of districts in California recently were given a different kind of waiver from requirements of the federal law. Washington, Oregon and Kansas had been placed on "high risk status" and given until the end of the 2012-13 school year to fix the way to include improvement in student test scores as a factor in teacher evaluations. The article is from KOMOnews.com.
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FAIL FAST, NOT SPECTACULARLY
MOOC stalwart Udacity made more news lately, and it wasn’t of the positive, swooning variety. The results from this experiment—one that was celebrated widely when it was first announced—emerged recently, and they were not spectacular. Whereas in traditional remedial classes at SJSU, reportedly 74 percent of students were able to pass the course, in the online version from Udacity, no more than 51 percent were able to pass any of the three classes. What was widely celebrated, is now being widely derided. There are a few things to take away from this moment. The article is in Forbes.
ABOUT K-12
ABOUT K-12
NEW EDUCATION STANDARDS FACE GROWING OPPOSITION
The Common Core, a set of standards for kindergarten through high school that has been ardently supported by the Obama administration and many business leaders and state legislatures, is facing growing opposition from both the right and the left even before it has been properly introduced into classrooms. Tea Party conservatives, who reject the standards as an unwelcome edict from above, have called for them to be severely rolled back. Indiana has already put a brake on them. The Michigan House of Representatives is holding hearings on whether to suspend them. And citing the cost of new tests requiring more writing and a significant online component, Georgia and Oklahoma have withdrawn from a consortium developing exams based on the standards. At the same time, a group of parents and teachers argue that the standards — and particularly the tests aligned with them — are simply too difficult. The article is in The New York Times.
WHY STATES ARE BACKING OUT ON COMMON STANDARDS AND TESTS
Charles Chieppo and Jamie Gass write this commentary forThe Hechinger Report: The bloom is surely off the rose of Common Core, the new English and math standards pushed by Washington, D.C. education trade organizations and the Obama administration. In the last few months, a number of states have paused or de-funded implementation of the standards; others have pulled out of the consortia developing tests tied to them. In recent years, the Obama administration has made a number of federal goodies, such as Race to the Top grants and No Child Left Behind waivers, contingent on states’ adoption of Common Core standards and assessments. But now that Race to the Top money has been spent, states are belatedly taking a clear-eyed look at Common Core. High-performing states in particular won’t like what they see.
WASH., 2 OTHER STATES GET FEDERAL WARNING ON TEACHER EVALUATION
U.S. education officials announced Thursday that three states have not fulfilled their promises to bring their teacher and principal evaluation systems up to federal standards, but Washington, Oregon and Kansas have been given one extra year to finish the work. The new teacher evaluation systems were part of the requirements for waivers from the federal education law known as "No Child Left Behind." If the states meet the requirements of the waiver, they won't need to have every child meet state academic standards in reading and math by January 2014. So far, 40 states and the District of Columbia have been granted a one- or two-year reprieve from the requirements of the U.S. education law, passed more than a decade ago. A group of districts in California recently were given a different kind of waiver from requirements of the federal law. Washington, Oregon and Kansas had been placed on "high risk status" and given until the end of the 2012-13 school year to fix the way to include improvement in student test scores as a factor in teacher evaluations. The article is from KOMOnews.com.
ABOUT HIGHER ED
FAIL FAST, NOT SPECTACULARLY
MOOC stalwart Udacity made more news lately, and it wasn’t of the positive, swooning variety. The results from this experiment—one that was celebrated widely when it was first announced—emerged recently, and they were not spectacular. Whereas in traditional remedial classes at SJSU, reportedly 74 percent of students were able to pass the course, in the online version from Udacity, no more than 51 percent were able to pass any of the three classes. What was widely celebrated, is now being widely derided. There are a few things to take away from this moment. The article is in Forbes.
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IS YOUR STUDENT 'COMPETENT'? A NEW EDUCATION YARDSTICK TAKES THE MEASURE
Grading at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, N.H., is not influenced by some of the more traditional factors, such as turning in homework on time or doing "extra credit." Instead, each class defines a set of about four "competencies" – central concepts and skills – and a student must be proficient in each one to pass. Stellar performance in one can't make up for lack in another. Students here have multiple opportunities along the way to show teachers what they know: There are quizzes and tests, yes, but also projects, individual portfolios, and class performances. This approach to learning is known as competency-based education, and New Hampshire is among the pioneers. As it gains momentum around the United States, the expectation is that it will deepen learning and tie education more explicitly to skills that will equip students for the workplace and college-level studies – everything from accurate math and writing to creative problem-solving. Competency education can be done in a variety of ways and across all subjects, but it takes a different mind-set than simply marching through a textbook-based curriculum. The article is in The Christian Science Monitor.
Grading at Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, N.H., is not influenced by some of the more traditional factors, such as turning in homework on time or doing "extra credit." Instead, each class defines a set of about four "competencies" – central concepts and skills – and a student must be proficient in each one to pass. Stellar performance in one can't make up for lack in another. Students here have multiple opportunities along the way to show teachers what they know: There are quizzes and tests, yes, but also projects, individual portfolios, and class performances. This approach to learning is known as competency-based education, and New Hampshire is among the pioneers. As it gains momentum around the United States, the expectation is that it will deepen learning and tie education more explicitly to skills that will equip students for the workplace and college-level studies – everything from accurate math and writing to creative problem-solving. Competency education can be done in a variety of ways and across all subjects, but it takes a different mind-set than simply marching through a textbook-based curriculum. The article is in The Christian Science Monitor.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND PERFORMANCE FUNDING
With the announcement that Massachusetts community colleges will be funded based on graduation rates and other measures, The Hechinger Report’s Jon Marcus spoke about this national trend on public-radio station WBUR’s Radio Boston program.
With the announcement that Massachusetts community colleges will be funded based on graduation rates and other measures, The Hechinger Report’s Jon Marcus spoke about this national trend on public-radio station WBUR’s Radio Boston program.
HOW MOOCS WILL REVOLUTIONIZE CORPORATE LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
MOOCS, which first formally entered the learning sphere in 2008, gained prominence in 2012 when Stanford University offered the first in what became a series of its own. The concept’s name plainly conveys its definition: the MOOC is “massive” because it is designed to enroll tens of thousands of learners; it’s “open,” because, in theory, anyone with an Internet connection can enroll in the free course; it’s “online” because much if not all of the interaction takes place online in threaded web discussion groups with cohorts of learners, or on wikis, or via online videos of professors giving lectures and finally, MOOC’s are “courses” because they have concrete start and end dates, student assessments, online tests and quizzes, and proctored exams. Upon completion, some may offer a “verified certificate” of completion or college credit. The leading MOOC providers include Coursera, Udacity and edX. But as MOOCs storm the academic world, the public discussion of their impact is ignoring what could become their most valuable application. Far from being limited to higher education reform, the new learning style’s most important legacy could be its impact on the world of corporate training – which is a $150 billion industry. The article is in Forbes.
MOOCS, which first formally entered the learning sphere in 2008, gained prominence in 2012 when Stanford University offered the first in what became a series of its own. The concept’s name plainly conveys its definition: the MOOC is “massive” because it is designed to enroll tens of thousands of learners; it’s “open,” because, in theory, anyone with an Internet connection can enroll in the free course; it’s “online” because much if not all of the interaction takes place online in threaded web discussion groups with cohorts of learners, or on wikis, or via online videos of professors giving lectures and finally, MOOC’s are “courses” because they have concrete start and end dates, student assessments, online tests and quizzes, and proctored exams. Upon completion, some may offer a “verified certificate” of completion or college credit. The leading MOOC providers include Coursera, Udacity and edX. But as MOOCs storm the academic world, the public discussion of their impact is ignoring what could become their most valuable application. Far from being limited to higher education reform, the new learning style’s most important legacy could be its impact on the world of corporate training – which is a $150 billion industry. The article is in Forbes.
19 LESSONS ABOUT TEACHING
Andrew Joseph Pegoda writes in Inside Higher Ed: I started teaching in May 2007. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
Andrew Joseph Pegoda writes in Inside Higher Ed: I started teaching in May 2007. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
CROWDSOURCING IDEAS FOR A BETTER SCHOOL
Robyn Gee reports for NPR’s All Tech Considered: In my previous life as a high school English teacher, I often felt disconnected from everyone making the decisions that affected how I did my job. A new curriculum handed down from the district. Tutorials to learn how to process student data. Elective classes swapped out for study halls. I just learned to roll with the punches. But crowdsourcing tools are slowly working their way into the education policy world, designed to give teachers and district employees more say on big decisions that affect their school environment. It might seem far-fetched that this can actually work — that a district employee will have a brilliant idea for changing the system and that it will garner unanimous support from the ranks of teachers, administrators and community members. It's easier to imagine an online free-for-all — a new platform to vent and passionately disagree with each other. But whatever the ultimate outcome, at least offering a somewhat democratized, regular feedback loop that teachers can easily access on their own time (after all the grading is done), seems like a win.
Robyn Gee reports for NPR’s All Tech Considered: In my previous life as a high school English teacher, I often felt disconnected from everyone making the decisions that affected how I did my job. A new curriculum handed down from the district. Tutorials to learn how to process student data. Elective classes swapped out for study halls. I just learned to roll with the punches. But crowdsourcing tools are slowly working their way into the education policy world, designed to give teachers and district employees more say on big decisions that affect their school environment. It might seem far-fetched that this can actually work — that a district employee will have a brilliant idea for changing the system and that it will garner unanimous support from the ranks of teachers, administrators and community members. It's easier to imagine an online free-for-all — a new platform to vent and passionately disagree with each other. But whatever the ultimate outcome, at least offering a somewhat democratized, regular feedback loop that teachers can easily access on their own time (after all the grading is done), seems like a win.
THIS GUY LEFT GOOGLE TO PUT THE POWER OF BIG DATA INTO SMALL CLASSROOMS
Prasad Ram (aka Pram) is founder, creator, and CEO ofGooru, “an open and collaborative online community where the best free materials for learning can be found, created, remixed and shared.” Gooru harnesses the power of data to enable personalized learning. Pram used to be a big research scientist: head of R&D for Google India and CTO for Yahoo India. He also contributed to the development of Google Maps, News, and Translate. Now, he’s dedicated to Gooru, a platform that describes itself as “a non-profit education technology start-up in Silicon Valley with a mission to honor the human right to education.” Put simply, Gooru puts the power of big analytics in the hands of small classrooms. This is what makes Gooru so exciting. As Pram said to me during a recent phone call, “the teacher is at the center of the learning process for us.” Gooru is not edtech that attempts to automate the teaching or learning process. Instead, it makes intuitive suggestions by looking at the whole class. The article is in Forbes.
Prasad Ram (aka Pram) is founder, creator, and CEO ofGooru, “an open and collaborative online community where the best free materials for learning can be found, created, remixed and shared.” Gooru harnesses the power of data to enable personalized learning. Pram used to be a big research scientist: head of R&D for Google India and CTO for Yahoo India. He also contributed to the development of Google Maps, News, and Translate. Now, he’s dedicated to Gooru, a platform that describes itself as “a non-profit education technology start-up in Silicon Valley with a mission to honor the human right to education.” Put simply, Gooru puts the power of big analytics in the hands of small classrooms. This is what makes Gooru so exciting. As Pram said to me during a recent phone call, “the teacher is at the center of the learning process for us.” Gooru is not edtech that attempts to automate the teaching or learning process. Instead, it makes intuitive suggestions by looking at the whole class. The article is in Forbes.
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NEW TEACHER EVALUATION PROCESS SET TO BEGIN IN PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Teacher evaluation systems can determine who keeps a job and who goes, but what can such systems do to improve all teachers in the classroom? The new evaluation system developed by Pittsburgh Public Schools includes so much help that A+ Schools, an education advocacy group, is calling it the new "teacher improvement system." On Monday, A+ Schools released a report examining the complex evaluation system that will take effect in the 2013-14 school year. "We have a system now that is much more detailed, that reflects five years of collaboration between teachers and administrators, that is a vast improvement from what the system was five years ago," said Amy Scott, director of research and data analysis for A+ Schools. The article is in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Teacher evaluation systems can determine who keeps a job and who goes, but what can such systems do to improve all teachers in the classroom? The new evaluation system developed by Pittsburgh Public Schools includes so much help that A+ Schools, an education advocacy group, is calling it the new "teacher improvement system." On Monday, A+ Schools released a report examining the complex evaluation system that will take effect in the 2013-14 school year. "We have a system now that is much more detailed, that reflects five years of collaboration between teachers and administrators, that is a vast improvement from what the system was five years ago," said Amy Scott, director of research and data analysis for A+ Schools. The article is in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
COMMON CORE POSES BIG CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS, BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHERS
With an emphasis on developing verbal and analytical skills, the new Common Core standards will pose a big step up for most students. For English learners, who comprise a quarter of California’s children, it’ll seem more like a pole vault. “Common Core is pushing us toward a higher level of achievement, and that depth is predicated on an ability to use language in sophisticated ways,” said Ben Sanders, director of standards, assessment and instruction for the 10 districts that formed the nonprofit California Office to Reform Education, or CORE.Recognizing this will also be a unique opportunity and a heavy lift for teachers. CORE’s second annual Common Core summer conference for 450 teachers and administrators in San Francisco this month concentrated on teaching academic language – the shorthand for becoming fluent in the vocabulary, compound sentences and thought processes demanded to analyze texts, form coherent questions, create logical arguments and collaborate on projects. These are the priorities of the Common Core, which 45 states, including California, and the District of Columbia have adopted. In a sign of agreement over its importance, the California Teachers Association also made academic language under Common Core a theme at its annual Summer Institute for 1,100 teachers in Los Angeles – and for those who viewed webinars online last week. The article is in The Hechinger Report.
With an emphasis on developing verbal and analytical skills, the new Common Core standards will pose a big step up for most students. For English learners, who comprise a quarter of California’s children, it’ll seem more like a pole vault. “Common Core is pushing us toward a higher level of achievement, and that depth is predicated on an ability to use language in sophisticated ways,” said Ben Sanders, director of standards, assessment and instruction for the 10 districts that formed the nonprofit California Office to Reform Education, or CORE.Recognizing this will also be a unique opportunity and a heavy lift for teachers. CORE’s second annual Common Core summer conference for 450 teachers and administrators in San Francisco this month concentrated on teaching academic language – the shorthand for becoming fluent in the vocabulary, compound sentences and thought processes demanded to analyze texts, form coherent questions, create logical arguments and collaborate on projects. These are the priorities of the Common Core, which 45 states, including California, and the District of Columbia have adopted. In a sign of agreement over its importance, the California Teachers Association also made academic language under Common Core a theme at its annual Summer Institute for 1,100 teachers in Los Angeles – and for those who viewed webinars online last week. The article is in The Hechinger Report.
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RESEARCHERS EXPLORE FACTORS BEHIND MISMATCHED COLLEGE CHOICES
Many students attend a college they're over- or underqualified for, and a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research examines why. The researchers found substantial undermatch and overmatch, or students at colleges below or above their ability level, respectively. About 28 percent of students in the sample who started at a four-year college probably could have gone to a better institution, and 25 percent of students might have been in over their heads. While those figures aren't so different from shares of mismatched students three decades ago, the new report digs into this persistent issue. Mismatches are driven more by the decisions of students and families than of admissions offices, argue the researchers, Eleanor W. Dillon, an assistant professor of economics at Arizona State University, and Jeffrey A. Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan. The consequences of mismatch need more attention, Ms. Dillon said. Examining the effects of undermatching and overmatching on students' graduation rates and future employment is her next task, she said. The article is in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Many students attend a college they're over- or underqualified for, and a new paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research examines why. The researchers found substantial undermatch and overmatch, or students at colleges below or above their ability level, respectively. About 28 percent of students in the sample who started at a four-year college probably could have gone to a better institution, and 25 percent of students might have been in over their heads. While those figures aren't so different from shares of mismatched students three decades ago, the new report digs into this persistent issue. Mismatches are driven more by the decisions of students and families than of admissions offices, argue the researchers, Eleanor W. Dillon, an assistant professor of economics at Arizona State University, and Jeffrey A. Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan. The consequences of mismatch need more attention, Ms. Dillon said. Examining the effects of undermatching and overmatching on students' graduation rates and future employment is her next task, she said. The article is in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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