The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation, is proud to present the final issue brief in their latest series of four issue briefs examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief explores afterschool and data utilization to improve…

This report looks specifically at the information and data needs of policymakers related to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the types of research that could provide this information. The ideas in this report were informed by a series of meetings and discussions about a possible research agenda for the Common Core, sponsored by the…

"An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad" seeks to highlight components of competency education in international practice, to inform US policymakers and decision makers seeking to implement high-quality competency pathways at the state or local level. Other countries are studying our innovations, and we are…

A rigorous K-12 science education builds student knowledge in core scientific content and equips students to analyze problems, use evidence, and investigate solutions. The education requirements of careers across the economy are increasing and all students--regardless of whether they pursue science as a career--need greater proficiency in the…

This is an excerpt from "Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education" (The New Press, 2012). It concludes that GED programs need more resources, not less. The programs tend to be populated by low-to-modest income people who failed school the first time around and now are considered less worthy of investment. GED…

School librarians are in a profession where it is easy to be isolated. Often, school districts have only one certified librarian and school librarians must create ways to connect with one another and with other educators. Social media opportunities such as Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, wikis, and nings are powerful ways of staying connected on a…

The Common Core standards distinguish between domain-specific vocabulary (topic, point on a graph) and general academic vocabulary (consist of, analyze), but is this a false dichotomy, the authors ask? Analyzing character development, they point out, is not the same as analyzing data. This has implications for vocabulary instruction in the areas…

In this era of hyper-accountability, teachers are under ever-increasing pressure to demonstrate their worth--often using evidence that is far removed from what seems to be in the best interests of the students. Terms such as "value-added," "evidence-based," and "data-driven" dominate discussions about teaching…

Amy Magnafichi Lucas is a graduate teaching assistant in the English Studies program at Illinois State university. Prior to her graduate work, she spent ten years in the secondary English classroom. In this article, she points out that most teachers are their own worst enemies. Most of the time this occurs during times of educational change…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) explicitly call for a wide variety of writing assignments in all subjects, with special emphasis on informational writing and argumentation (National Governors Association). In a footnote to the 6-12 writing standards, the CCSS point out that "these broad types of writing include many subgenres"…

In American universities, early distance education needed both continuing education and academic departments for establishing institutional cooperation, developing quality standards, adapting to change, and finding a funding model. Today, the Internet and the need for additional revenue are driving new distance education models.

The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. They enjoy a huge following of well-wishers and supporters who are optimistic that the standards will boost achievement in U.S. schools. Setting aside the cheerleading and fond hopes, what are the real chances of success? The most reasonable prediction is…

Teacher evaluation should address the complexity of teaching by assessing individual teachers and by helping them continuously improve. Constructive feedback, evidence from multiple sources, and high levels of support are all essential. The six steps to effective teacher development and evaluation presented in this article are: (1) Match high…

Community colleges act as the gateway for students to higher education. Many of these colleges realize this mission through open-door policies where students lacking in basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills can enroll. But, this open-access policy often creates challenges when meeting academic standards. Based on data collected from…

With the completion of new standards intended to reshape science education, the real heavy lifting now begins. First, states must decide whether to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards developed by a coalition of 26 states and several national organizations. Already, though, considerable focus is turning to laying the groundwork for the…