New reports on helping dropouts get back on track, preventing dropouts in the first place
Graduation rates at U.S. high schools have hovered around 70 percent for decades. But many urban and rural areas routinely graduate only 40 or 50 percent of their students. The dropout crisis in many cities is acute, with 2,000 high schools producing half of the nation’s dropouts. Cutting the dropout rate and turning around “dropout […]
Can we “SIG” that instructional coach?
The acronym for School Improvement Grants – SIG – has become a verb at a middle school in Oakland, California, according to an illuminating blog post by an assistant principal there. In the post, assistant principal Kilian Betlach gives us insight into the chaos but also the hope that the Obama administration’s revamping of the SIG […]
Bridge programs can ease a tricky high-school transition
When I was an incoming ninth-grader, our bare-bones orientation lasted a few hours. Adults and students crowded into our school’s auditorium, as our principal took the mic to explain to us what a big journey we were embarking upon. Various teachers and student-leaders were paraded about on stage, and we were given the privilege of wandering the halls and scoping […]
Recess round-up: September 7, 2010
A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break! All-girls school: A new single-sex charter school in Denver will focus on “empowering girls and providing them opportunities denied in a co-ed setting.” (Denver Post) School turnarounds: The New Haven (Conn.) Register takes a look at school-turnaround models […]
Recess round-up: September 3, 2010
A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break! ‘STEM success’: Community colleges in rural areas are increasing the number of minority and women students in STEM fields faster than their urban and suburban counterparts. (Inside Higher Ed) Principal-free school: Detroit is set to open Michigan’s first […]
Tests as teacher-training tools: Two views from winners
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the department’s picks for two plans to create new and improved tests to replace the fill-in-the-bubble versions that most states have long used. The grant competition was billed as a mini-Race to the Top, with only three contestants. The one loser was a smaller group of states proposing […]
Recess round-up: September 2, 2010
A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break! Change agent: A profile of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. (Christian Science Monitor) Improving assessments: The U.S. Department of Education awarded $330 million to two state-coalitions to design new assessment systems aligned with the Common Core Standards. (Education Week) […]
Charter schools and English language learners
Charter schools get a lot of accolades, but rarely are they touted for their work with English language learners (ELLs). That’s because in charter-school hot spots like New York City, charters have tended not to serve ELLs as much as they do other students, causing some groups to complain that they’re avoiding some of the […]
Recess round-up: September 1, 2010
A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break! Back to school but staying home with virtual schools. (The Associated Press via The Boston Globe) Comparing teachers: The conversation about how best to measure teacher-performance continues, especially when it comes to value-added models. (The New York […]
