Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Seven keys to effective teacher development

(Editor’s note: This article is the third in a three-part series about how school systems can build on the progress and leverage the investments they’ve made in technology during the pandemic to achieve true digital transformation. Part 1 looks at how K-12 leaders can develop an effective blueprint for redesigning education in a way that’s more equitable, meaningful, and learner-centered, and Part 2 explores how leaders can obtain stakeholder buy-in and support for their vision.)

Building on the changes that school systems have made during the pandemic to achieve true digital transformation requires an adaptive approach to K-12 leadership, as well as a focus on successful change management. These are adjustments that have to take place at the administrative level. But real transformation won’t occur unless it reaches the classroom as well, with teachers embracing change and trying out new approaches to instruction.

For this to happen, teachers not only have to buy in to what their school systems are looking to accomplish; they also need effective professional learning.…Read More

Oklahoma Christian University and BloomBoard Announce New Partnership to Support Teacher Development and Salary Advancement with Micro-credentials

EDMOND, Okla. (September 30, 2021)- Today, Oklahoma Christian University (OC) and BloomBoard announced a partnership to help Oklahoma schools and districts with COVID recovery by supporting teachers with micro-credential-based graduate courses. This news comes after a recent report shed light on the Sooner State’s struggles with retaining teachers. Through this partnership, Oklahoma teachers will earn graduate credit from the university and build immediate teaching skills necessary to address pandemic-related setbacks to learning. Officials, including Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters, are striving to fast-track career development in the teaching profession and solve talent pipeline needs through this program.

“Studies show that the number one factor of student success in the school setting is the quality of the teacher,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Education, Ryan Walters, “Oklahoma needs professional development now to allow us to be better teachers tomorrow. Micro-credentials provide teachers a career ladder for advancement while allowing them to stay in the classroom where they can change students’ lives.”

This partnership allows teachers to develop skills through a learning-by-doing process that is directly relevant to their classroom practice. Micro-credential-based programs are a flexible alternative to earning traditional graduate course credit towards a master’s degree. They provide an on-the-job approach to professional learning while promoting educators’ career and compensation advancement. …Read More

Six steps to effective teacher development and evaluation

‘Both of us have become increasingly concerned that states and districts are doing evaluation quickly instead of doing it right, which could have serious adverse effects,’ the authors write.

(Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The New Republic. It’s reprinted here with permission from the American Federation of Teachers.)

Some see us as education’s odd couple—one, the president of a democratic teachers’ union; the other, a director at the world’s largest philanthropy.…Read More

TCEA 2013: Teacher development and school improvement

Users of Pearson’s Schoolnet program now will have access to School Improvement Network’s video segments showing best teaching practices from classrooms across the country.

At the 2013 Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference, a number of ed-tech companies introduced new products aimed at fostering teacher development and school improvement. Here’s a look at some of those solutions.

Atomic Learning demonstrated its iPad app at TCEA: Using the app, educators can watch ed-tech training videos on an iPad from wherever they are. The company also discussed its Mobilize solution, which offers help in deploying mobile learning. Atomic Mobilize includes resources, examples, and stories from fellow educators that illustrate how educators can use mobile devices to create personalized learning experiences for students.…Read More

Survey: Teacher morale at its lowest in decades

The survey's findings suggest it's time for a new approach to teacher development and support, experts say.

Teachers are less satisfied with their jobs than they have been in decades, but parent engagement with their schools has increased, according to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Teachers, Parents and the Economy, the 28th in an annual series of surveys commissioned by MetLife and conducted by Harris Interactive.

The report, based on a survey of public school teachers, parents, and students during the current school year, is the first large-scale national survey to fully reflect the effects of the economy on the teaching profession, MetLife says.…Read More

AFT: Education must change to move forward

Schools must aim for 21st century education, Weingarten said.
Schools must aim for 21st century education, AFT President Randi Weingarten said.

Moving public education to a model that will better prepare students for today’s knowledge economy, and one that will strengthen teacher development and evaluation, is critical to the nation’s ability to compete on a global scale, said American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten in a Jan. 12 speech at the National Press Club.

The AFT president outlined her vision for what teachers need to help their students succeed, and she discussed how to promote productive labor-management relationships, seeking out governors, mayors, school boards, and superintendents to join in this effort. Weingarten also unveiled a reform plan to ensure superior teaching and improve systems that have been ingrained in public education for more than a decade.…Read More