As an early Common Core booster, Michael Petrilli had hoped that by now--10 years after most states adopted the standards--the nation's schools would have logged tangible improvements in teaching and learning that resulted in higher student achievement. In this article, Petrilli reviews what Common Core is and discusses the work ahead that is…

This is the second in a series of policy notes and related publications exploring prospects for developing indicators of teaching quality. The first examined federal databases that include information about teachers, demonstrating that almost none of the measures in these datasets provides indication of teaching quality. This policy note takes the…

The current accountability conversation in teacher education is the direct result of the policy paradigms that shape our understandings of schooling and reform. The authors present cases from Georgia and Missouri illustrating how these policy paradigms have resulted in outcomes-based accountability initiatives for teacher education. Specifically,…

The Common Core State Standards, released in 2010, were rapidly adopted by more than 40 states. Champions maintained that these rigorous standards would transform American education, but the initiative went on to encounter a bumpy path. A decade on, what are we to make of this ambitious effort? What kind of impact, if any, has it had on the…

In spite of Tea Party criticism, union skepticism, and anti-testing outcries, the campaign to implement Common Core State Standards (otherwise known as Common Core) has achieved phenomenal success in statehouses across the country. Since 2011, 45 states have raised their standards for student proficiency in reading and math, with the greatest…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes New Jersey's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies New Jersey will implement to address those challenges. The cross agency RTT-ELC team has continued to implement the eleven projects that the federal partners have…

Minnesota's vision for its Race to the Top -- Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) work was based in years of research showing the impact of high quality early childhood programs on children's school readiness and success in life. Minnesota's State plan was to increase access to high quality early learning development programs for children across…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Vermont's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Vermont will implement to address those challenges. 2016 marked a year of substantial progress for Vermont's Early Learning Challenge (ELC) grant, particularly at the…

This report details the story of North Carolina's Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) Grant for the period of 2012-2016. It provides detailed reflections on the state's accomplishments over the grant period and shares the enhanced vision for the RTT-ELC in North Carolina. Specific details are provided about what has changed in the…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) final performance report for the year 2016 describes Rhode Island's vision for RTT-ELC, what has changed in Rhode Island and in early learning programs as a result of RTT-ELC, and the lessons learned in implementing a comprehensive reform agenda. The RTT-ELC grant offered Rhode Island the…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) final performance report for the year 2016 describes Delaware's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Delaware will implement to address those challenges. Delaware made significant progress throughout the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge in four identified…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Colorado's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Colorado will implement to address those challenges. Guided by the vision of the Early Childhood Colorado Framework (their vision, goals, and priorities for a…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) final performance report for the year 2016 describes California's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies California will implement to address those challenges. California's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) implements a unique approach that builds…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the reporting period of 01-01-2016 to 12-31-2016 provides a summary of New Mexico's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies that New Mexico will implement to address those challenges. New Mexico has made significant progress on the Race to…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the reporting period of 01-01-2016 to 12-31-2016 in Pennsylvania provides a detailed summary of accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies that the state of Pennsylvania will implement to address those challenges. Some accomplishments…