A recent independent evaluation by WestEd of Learning Forward's What Matters Now Network looked at the ways in which a structured, facilitated network provided support for state-level coalitions working with districts, schools, and educators to improve instruction and make progress toward achieving content standards. The network was facilitated by…

In spring 2016, a course at Ohio State University (OSU) was introduced to teach advanced agronomic concepts and included the option to prepare students for the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) exams offered by the American Society of Agronomy. From 2019 to 2021, revisions in instructional methods were implemented that introduced the use of pretests…

Purpose: This study aimed to explore teachers' learning processes through a hybrid cross-cultural lesson study (LS) because little is known about the learning process through this novel and promising LS approach. Design/methodology/approach: This cross-cultural LS lasted over six months focusing on developing a research lesson (RL) related to…

The urgent need to equip young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to be agile lifelong learners who can thrive in a rapidly changing economy has never been clearer. As a result, many school districts have been shifting their focus, aiming to better prepare all high school students to graduate ready to succeed both in college and in the…

This report describes the use of a Learning Progression Framework (LPF) to support the Student Learning Objectives (SLO) process. The report highlights a few common threats we currently see in the SLO process implemented at various states and districts, and offers the LPF as a possible solution for addressing these threats. This report was…

The purpose of this study was to elicit elementary and middle school administrators' perceptions of the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). The researchers created a questionnaire to learn administrators' experiences with and attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge of OTES thus far. The questionnaire consisted of twenty-five Likert-based…

Educational assessments provide data that give policymakers a "snapshot" of how students are performing and serve as a means of holding teachers, schools, and districts accountable. Many contend, however, that assessments could do more to promote deeper learning in K-12 environments. One interesting possibility is the use of…

This report summarizes findings from one component of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education's (CPRE) evaluation of the General Electric Foundation's (GEF) "Developing Futures"™ in Education program in Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS). The purpose was to closely analyze district capacity to support system-wide instructional…

A pair of Ohio school districts, a short drive down Interstate 70 from each other, share similar goals. Each wants to improve student achievement by strengthening curriculum and instruction and giving teachers and principals the tools to make it happen. But the Huber Heights and Brookville school systems diverge in their approach to meeting those…

Innovation and ingenuity have long been hallmarks of the U.S.' economy. Our competitive strength is built on the legacy of great innovators--from Alexander Graham Bell and Lewis Latimer to the Wright brothers and Steve Jobs. The U.S. has prized its status as a leader in developing creative thinkers and entrepreneurs, but by many estimates, it is…

In recent years, "continuous improvement" has become a popular catchphrase in the field of education. However, while continuous improvement has become commonplace and well-documented in other industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing, little is known about how this work has manifested itself in education. This white paper attempts…

Increasing qualitative evidence in the literature supports specific characteristics and practices, presented from a distributed leadership perspective, to be prevalent in school districts that demonstrate significant increases in student achievement. Quantitative evidence linking these identified district-level characteristics and practices to…

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the impact of a unique faculty development seminar program in teaching: the Learning Fellows Seminar at Case Western Reserve University, a large national research university, which used Experiential Learning Theory as its foundation. Adopting a case study methodology, the study addressed four…

THE MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF LARGE AND SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL. CLOSELY RELATED PURPOSES WERE TO IMPROVE LARGE GROUP TEACHING PROCEDURES SO THAT THE CLAIMED ADVANTAGES OF SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION COULD BE REALIZED IN LARGE GROUP TEACHING TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE, TO STUDY…

TELEVISION HAS NEITHER ELIMINATED, REDUCED, NOR REPLACED MAN'S NEED AND USE OF BOOKS, BUT HAS MERELY INCREASED HIS APPETITE FOR KNOWLEDGE. LIBRARIANS, BOOK PUBLISHERS, MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ALL ATTEST TO INCREASED GROWTH AND USE OF PRINTED MATERIALS SINCE THE ADVENT OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION. EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION WAS SPURRED IN THE…