The field of learning analytics is being discussed in many circles as an emerging concept in education. In many districts and states, the core philosophy behind learning analytics is not entirely new; for more than a decade, discussions of data-driven decision making and the use of data to drive instruction have been common. Still, the U.S.…

The Common Core is at a critical juncture. While many surveys show that support for the standards themselves remains strong, implementation has not been without major challenges. "State Accountability in the Transition to Common Core," a new policy brief from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, provides cautionary advice about what key…

Launched in 2011, the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative aims to increase the ability of students with low basic skills to earn valued occupational credentials, obtain well-paying jobs, and sustain rewarding careers. AO encourages states to change the delivery of adult education for students interested in learning career skills by enrolling…

This policy analysis project focused on state-level education policy which lacks evaluator training as well as on requirements for research-based best practices. Due to federal mandates and funding as well as accountability to all stakeholders, states are adopting more rigorous evaluation systems. These high-stakes evaluation systems are putting…

This chapter describes the current state of special education in Israel as well as what the future holds with possible solutions to improve services for individuals with disabilities. Israel is a very complex society and, as such, the educational system is very complex as well. The development of the special education system in Israel will be…

The potential of TWI to close the achievement gap for English language learners and to provide both native English speakers and native partner-language speakers with access to a high-quality education with positive academic, language, and sociocultural outcomes is clear. In this article, I argue that the realization of this potential for TWI…

Qatar is undergoing major educational reform that is shifting its educational policy toward an instructional orientation grounded in constructivism and student-centered instruction. Differences in cultural conceptions of knowledge acquisition and the purpose of education are examined to highlight challenges to Qatar's reform implementation…

This report serves as a legacy document for the Ford Foundation's More and Better Learning Time (MBLT) initiative. It summarizes the approaches to and outcomes and challenges of successful MBLT strategies around the country. The report includes data from a survey for Ford Foundation MBLT grantees across the country and from case studies in Denver,…

This qualitative study, utilizing the case study method, sought to address the issues associated with the lack of institutionalization of service-learning practices on college campus by describing the institutionalization of service-learning practices at a Baptist-affiliated college. The study describes the development and institutionalization of…

The primary purpose of this study was to understand how three diverse community colleges are interpreting and acting on federal initiatives to increase completion rates. The study attempted to answer four main research questions: (1) How do a selection of Kansas community colleges, as organizations, interpret the initiative to increase completion…

This issue of ETS Policy Notes (Vol 21, No. 2) highlights the discussion from "Taking Action: Navigating the Common Core State Standards and Assessments," a conference co-convened by ETS and the National Urban League (NUL) in February 2013. Part of the Saturdays at ETS series, the conference brought together researchers, funders,…

The United States of America has failed to educate generations of children. This egregious failure consigns far too many young people--especially those from low-income families or who are African American and Latino--to lives on the margins of the American mainstream. As a result, unemployment, underemployment, imprisonment, child poverty, and…

Research suggests that providing high-quality early education experiences for young learners can support positive outcomes for these children, including higher achievement test scores and even higher graduation rates. Transitional kindergarten (TK) aims to provide an additional year of kindergarten to California's youngest students to help them…

In recent years, Asian countries including South Korea have been trying to redefine the role of English in response to globalisation. The impact of this on English language teaching and on Korean society more generally has been well documented; however, the impact of this change on individual teachers and their teaching calls for further…

This article is a commentary of a paper by Derek C. Briggs and Frederick A. Peck, "Using Learning Progressions to Design Vertical Scales That Support Coherent Inferences about Student Growth," which describes an elegant potential framework for at least beginning to address three priorities in large-scale assessment that have not been…