Report: States improve teacher policies

NCTQ’s annual report finds state policies to support teacher effectiveness are no longer the exception in the U.S.

teacher-policyTeacher policies across the U.S. averaged a C- grade, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), which on Dec. 8 released its ninth annual State Teacher Policy Yearbook.

The annual policy yearbook analyzes every state law, rule and regulation that shapes the teaching profession, from teacher preparation, licensing and evaluation to compensation, professional development and dismissal policy.

Across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, states average a C- for their teacher policies in 2015, up from an overall grade of D in 2009. The average state grade has held steady since NCTQ’s last comprehensive report card in 2013, despite the bar being raised on several key topics, including aligning teacher licensing policies with the expectations of college- and career-readiness standards adopted by many states.…Read More

8 new standards to support school principals

Standards for supervisors of school principals aim to change the position from compliance officer to coach

school-principalsEight new standards for supervisors of school principals, covering topics such as instructional leadership and meeting the needs of diverse learners, aim to guide supervisors as they help those principals improve their effectiveness in an evolving role.

The standards are supported by The Wallace Foundation and were released by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). A team of educators from across the nation spent more than a year developing the standards for a position long focused on bureaucratic compliance but now increasingly becoming critical to developing outstanding school principals who can improve teaching and learning.

The group says the eight 2015 Model Principal Supervisor Professional Standards are the first-ever standards developed for supervisors of school principals and are voluntary.…Read More

Is competency-based learning the next big thing in school reform?

A new proposal out of Georgia is betting it is, and supporters hope schools will implement it soon

competency-basedIn a typical Georgia school, kids like Sean Prisk would have to abide by a kind of classroom speed limit, forced to learn at the same pace as others his age. But no one stopped this Henry County seventh-grader when he stomped on the gas.

He accelerated two years ahead of his classmates in math and is now doing freshman-level work. “Math comes naturally to me,” he said.

Sean entered Locust Grove Middle School as it was implementing “competency-based” learning, which tailors schooling to each child’s ability. Students who excel move on. Those who are struggling slow down and try different methods, like exploring math or science concepts through art.…Read More

Is your library going Future Ready too?

Modern librarians can take charge in making their schools Future Ready

Ed note: This is the first in a series of columns from digital library expert Mark Ray discussing the changing role of librarians and the Future Ready Schools initiative.

digital-libraryDuring the past year, more than 1900 superintendents have signed the Future Ready Pledge, part of a broadly-defined initiative to promote digital transformation in American schools. Superintendents across the nation are signing on the dotted line with a commitment to promote and support digital ways of teaching, learning, and leading. As the Future Ready Schools project enters its second year, districts are seeking to operationalize innovation from the classroom to the central office.

My district, Vancouver Public Schools in WA, is among a growing number of districts that have identified teacher librarians as partners to provide the necessary leadership to help schools make future readiness more than just a promise.…Read More

How to save money and time with asset management software

Asset management software is keeping track of textbooks and more for districts

textbooks-assetsTwo years ago Consolidated Unit School District 300 in Algonquin, Ill., was facing a pretty daunting challenge across its 26 schools. When it came to recording the inventory of assets like textbooks, some of the district’s numbers were incorrect. “We’d start a new school year thinking that we had the appropriate supplies for our students, only to find out that our inventory system didn’t reflect what we actually had on hand,” said Susan Harkin, chief operating officer for the 26-school, 21,000-student district.

A student who wasn’t matched up with an algebra book, for example, would often have to wait a week or two for it to be ordered and delivered to the classroom. And for some of the outdated books that are no longer being published, the district could spend months trying to hunt down the textbooks. “Students would start the school year without a textbook to refer to for homework,” said Harkin. “It wasn’t a good situation for a district that’s focused on student success.”

Harkin says the schools’ curriculum and instructional personnel were particularly concerned about the gaps that existed between the inventory system and the actual inventory. At the time, D300 was most concerned about textbooks, although it also wanted to improve the tracking of district-owned assets such as tablet computers and musical instruments.…Read More

4 smart strategies to retain public school principals

“Chicago’s Fight to Keep Top Principals” reflects survey results and insights of more than 400 principals

public-school-principalsMore than 40 percent of surveyed Chicago public school principals plan to leave their positions in the next 3 years, and 25 percent said they plan to leave within the next year–data suggesting that the city is losing its principals too soon, before they can effect change in their schools.

During a City Club of Chicago event downtown on Nov. 3, The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) released a comprehensive report on the state of principal quality in the city’s public schools.

The report, titled Chicago’s Fight to Keep Top Principals, is based on survey results from 423 principals within Chicago’s public schools, representing 65 percent of the city’s district-run and charter school principals.…Read More

The 5 reasons schools don’t have better internet connectivity

CoSN’s Annual Infrastructure Survey outlines state of school connectivity in U.S. districts

school-connectivitySchool leaders said affordability remains the top barrier to robust internet connectivity in their schools, according to the Consortium for School Networking’s (CoSN) 3rd Annual Infrastructure Survey released November 3.

Improving network speed and capacity and increasing competition for broadband services remain significant challenges to districts as well, the survey reveals.

The results also detail the impact of changes to the E-rate program, as well as the growing issue of digital equity for technology access outside of the classroom.…Read More

5 signs your K-12 LMS needs an upgrade

In the middle of changing times for the K-12 LMS, some administrators wonder if it’s time for an update

k-12-lmsLearning management systems (LMS) are facing changing times, as many K-12 administrators evaluate how their current LMS fits into teaching and learning goals.

The K-12 LMS is quickly becoming one of the main gears that churns day-to-day operations in classrooms and in districts across the nation.

Edsby, a K-12 LMS that connects students, teachers and parents using modern technologies, has developed a checklist to support administrators weighing the benefits of implementing a modern LMS district-wide, or in the evaluation of current systems.…Read More

School leaders get new professional standards

National Policy Board approves refreshed guidelines that hope to help educational leaders improve student achievement

educational-leadersNew professional standards for educational leaders aim to ensure district and school leaders are able to improve student achievement and meet new, higher expectations.

The National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) voted unanimously to approve the new, refreshed 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, formerly known as ISLLC standards.

“The 2015 standards take a huge stride toward clarifying the administrator’s role and connecting that role directly to student learning,” said JoAnn D. Bartoletti, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and NPBEA chair. “A highly collaborative and inclusive process resulted in a high-quality set of standards that can potentially transform principal preparation and evaluation programs across the country.”…Read More

22 districts join network of innovative school systems

 Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools members partner with other leading educators, entrepreneurs, and researchers from across the U.S.

league-innovativeTwenty-two new school districts have been accepted into the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of forward-thinking school districts organized by Digital Promise, an independent, bipartisan nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to accelerate innovation in education.

The League of Innovative Schools, launched in late 2011, accepts new members through an open application process once per year. With the new members, the League now includes 73 school districts in 33 states, representing 3.2 million students. The full list of members can be found at digitalpromise.org/districts. A list of the 22 new districts being added is also available via a blog post from the league.

“The League’s goal is to find leaders pioneering bold, creative, and student-centric practices, connect them with each other, and amplify what they do best so others can learn,” said Sara Schapiro, director of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. “With these new members, we add a wealth of insights, ideas, and energy to help our members effectively support teaching and learning through technology.”…Read More

New guide offers ed-tech purchasing insight

Free resource for K-12 school, district administrators aims to help them navigate the procurement process

purchasing-insightLearnBop, a web-based interactive K-12 math learning system, has released a free eBook, The Administrator’s Guide to EdTech Purchasing, created in partnership with Superintendent John Carver of the Howard-Winneshiek district in Cresco, Iowa.

Billions are spent every year on purchasing education technology, but agreed-upon best practices and processes around procurement vary.

This eBook is meant to set out a clear process, and also to provide tips, resources, and follow-up links to other quality information to help administrators go through the three main steps of procurement—identifying the problem to be solved; identifying technology to solve the problem; and then vetting and implementing that technology.…Read More

Napa County wins $50K collaboration prize for vocabulary gap solution

Inaugural winner of Collaboration Nation program focuses on innovation, student success

collaboration-nationThe Napa County Office of Education has emerged as the grand prize winner of CDW-G’s Collaboration Nation, a program recognizing school districts’ commitment and dedication to student success, collaboration, and innovative use of education technology to empower learning.

The district will receive $50,000 in products and services from CDW-G partners such as HP, Lenovo and Meraki.

In Napa County, more than 50 percent of all kindergartners come to school having been exposed to 30 million fewer words than their peers, putting them two years behind developmentally. The Napa County Office of Education, all five districts in the county and the public-private partner Napa Learns decided to take a new approach to get students up to speed. Their mission was to use tablets to give every preschool student the skills needed to be successful in reading.…Read More