It is the moral responsibility of educators to work diligently to provide every student with rich, challenging coursework in efforts to prepare them for post high school careers and education. The use of common formative assessments provides teachers with the valuable, timely information they need to make instructional decisions that will better…

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how teachers who are successful with low-achieving students of color living in poverty supported their students in learning mathematics. Standards-based instruction and culturally responsive teaching (CRT) have both been suggested as pedagogical approaches that may support traditionally…

At the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, governors from 45 states joined with business leaders and education officials to address a critical problem in American education: Too few students graduate from high school prepared for the demands of college and career in an increasingly competitive global economy. Since then, to monitor and…

In this brief, Christine Patton and Justina Wang, from Harvard Family Research Project, look at ways of helping to make the transition into kindergarten a positive experience that will serve as a foundation to help children reach their full potential throughout their school years. The brief highlights promising practices in six states--New Jersey,…

In the 2006-2007 school year, the State of Wyoming adopted an evidenced-based school funding model. The Wyoming funding model reviewed in this study is considered an evidence-based approach, utilizing expert judgment to determine educational funding. In an evidence-based approach, educational strategies are identified and a dollar figure is…

As in previous years, the report draws from a survey of Grantmakers for Education's (GFE's) membership that provides a snapshot of giving patterns as well as grantmakers' qualitative impressions of lessons and insights from their work. This year, to mark the report's fifth anniversary, GFE also looks back to provide a historical perspective on…

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." Change can be scary. Quite often people find themselves venturing down an unknown path, unsure of what twists and turns will come their way. This uncertainty brings about questions, anxiety, and for some, a sense of panic. Similar emotions…

Culture, defined as the visible organizational behaviors and practices; the espoused values that represent organizational philosophies and understandings; and the values and core beliefs that construct the philosophies represented by organizational action, is formed over decades as institutions learn to respond to challenges associated with their…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the principles of Assessment for Learning (AFL) in light of John Dewey's writing about the purpose and possibility of education. In this paper, we compare Dewey's ideas to the goals of assessment for learning (AFL)--a practice emerging globally and, more locally, moved forward by the Alberta Initiative for…

This report complies with the requirements established in T.C.A. (Tennessee Code Annotated) Section 49-1-302(a)(10). The act directs the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to provide a report to the Governor and General Assembly, all public schools, and institutions of higher learning and their respective…

This paper presents findings from five separate investigations undertaken as part of the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative, a legislatively mandated program to increase the number of students attending and succeeding in college. It highlights activities designed to improve alignment between high school and college. These activities…

The proliferation of inappropriate master's degrees in educational administration is a tough challenge facing efforts to reform school leadership in the nation. In the state of Illinois alone, there are 26 universities and colleges offering 32 master's degree programs in educational leadership. In all, candidates enroll in 16 different types of…

The goal of helping all students become college- and career-ready has become a focal point of American education. But most high school accountability systems are lagging behind, failing to recognize college- and career-ready goals. Most high schools are rated on only two measures: graduation rates and student scores on basic skills tests given in…

This brief describes distributive leadership, shares an example of a California district using this practice to implement reform, surfaces potential challenges, and offers questions to consider. Successful reform can go beyond a single classroom or school, and outlast an individual. Successful, ongoing reform initiatives exist and they are…

Many studies reveal a huge gap between theory and practice in teacher education, leading to serious doubts concerning the effectiveness of teacher education. In this paper, the causes of the gap between theory and practice are analysed. On this basis, and grounded in a three-level model of teacher learning, the so-called "realistic approach" to…