This paper points to teaching policy issues that need to be addressed if micro-credentials are going to spur the transformation of professional learning that researchers call for and teachers seek. The paper also documents what a growing number of states and districts, as well as the nation's largest teachers' union, are doing with…

People learn by doing. This is the idea at the heart of apprenticeship, where lessons in the classroom are reinforced by on-the-job training, resulting in education that transcends the textbook and extends to physical and even cultural learning. Students get paid, and employers get custom-trained talent. For Louisiana, the opportunity of…

Over the last decade, teacher evaluation has moved onto center stage in efforts to strengthen schooling. In this article, we address the question of whether focusing on this administrative process is likely to accomplish what reformers hope. We answer that question by examining the available evidence, both direct and indirect. We deepen the…

One year ago, the "Wall Street Journal" dubbed 2011 "the year of school choice," opining that "this year is shaping up as the best for reformers in a very long time." School-choice laws took great strides in 2011, both in the number of programs that succeeded across states and also in the size and scope of the adopted…

Together, a school district and a local union are working to ensure that educators are trained in restorative practices in order to improve school climates and keep students in school and learning. This article describes how, in recent years, administrators and teachers have shifted from traditional school punishments, such as suspension, to…

The beloved WESIB/ESIB/ESU (from here on labelled mostly as ESU) is turning 30 this October. This momentous occasion is of course a wonderful excuse to celebrate, but also an opportunity to reflect where the organization is and where it could be and to connect numerous generations of student activists that have made and will continue to make the…

This article describes how a long-term commitment to job-embedded professional development creates a culture of continuous learning in one Michigan district. In Holt Public Schools, every Wednesday is time for teachers' professional development, and that means the students' day is shorter by two hours to allow it. Through two decades and three…

This article is about student engagement and in particular the engagement of students in internal institutional quality assurance processes in the UK. It discusses the extent to which the introduction of more explicit internal and external quality assurance processes militate against the notion of the student as a part of a "cohesive learning…

As of August 2010, a total of 33 states, school districts, charter school coalitions, and other education organizations had received Teacher Incentive Funds (TIF) to redesign compensation programs for teachers and principals. The U.S. Department of Education named a new cohort of TIF grantees on September 23, 2010. TIF grantees have faced a number…

Describes a project designed to assist national trade union centers with their specific activities in the area of the organization and training of women workers. Discusses the setting up of women's committees as support structures for the trade union confederations. The effectiveness of the program and the response of women trade unionists are…

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) Misread: Why Congress Isn't Giving Her the…

This article describes a labor education program specifically targeted to working class women, who themselves form a minority within the labor movement. The focus of the article is on the Southern School for Union Women. (CT)

Describes the aims of the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative and the past accomplishments and future aims of the Youth Training Scheme. Also discusses the new Training Standards Advisory Service, role of trade unions, and future needs. (CT)

Overviews Finnish schools before 1970 and highlights subsequent reforms. Groups reform problems under four headings: conceptual, attitudinal, administrative, and geographical. (BRR)

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) Supreme Court Hears Union Coercion Case; What…