The following is a list of recent resources for those focused on the professional improvement of teachers, principals, and other educational leaders.
The Center on International Education Benchmarking of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) commissioned “Beyond PD: Teacher Professional Learning in High-Performing Systems” that illustrates how British Columbia, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore developed teacher professional learning.
Global Teacher Prize: Joe Fatheree has been named one of the top ten Finalists for the Global Teacher Prize. Joe is a teacher at Effingham High School in Effingham, Illinois, and the 2007 Illinois Teacher of the Year with too many accomplishments to name here. He has been a leader beyond his classroom since he began teaching. His passion and commitment for his students has propelled him to lead throughout Illinois, the United States and the world. The winner will be announced in March 2016.
Teaching Higher: Educators’ Perspectives on Common Core Implementation. This report presents the perspectives of a representative sample of teachers in five states (Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Nevada) as they prepared their students to take the new Common Core-aligned assessments in the spring of 2015. Three out of four teachers (73 percent) reported that they have embraced the new standards “quite a bit” or “fully.” More than two thirds of principals (69 percent) believe that the new standards will lead to improved student learning. (Source: Center for Education Policy Research).
Are rural collaboratives the key to success? The idea of rural collaboratives – groups of rural school districts or groups of states with large numbers of rural schools that pool resources and research – could help schools tackle many of their challenges. (U.S. News & World Report, February 11).
NYCLA Begins Recruitment for New National Aspiring Principals Program. In response to the growing need for high quality school leaders in districts throughout the country, and with support from American Express and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, NYCLA has launched an innovative new national Aspiring Principals Program. NYCLA is currently seeking district partners who recognize the critical role of effective leadership in transforming schools, view talent development as a top priority, and are committed to developing leaders focused on equity and social justice. By sending high-potential aspiring leaders through our national APP, your district will benefit from a cadre of leaders who are ready to transform schools and improve student outcomes, and will develop a network of colleagues across the country that will share new ideas as well as promising educational practices.
Enrollment is now open for 2016-17 Foundations of Principal Supervision Program. NYCLA is excited to offer Foundations of Principal Supervision, now in its second year, to new and experienced district leaders across the country. This year-long program is designed to assist districts in improving and strengthening principal supervision and support. We encourage districts to enroll individual principal supervisors or entire teams to engage in this intensive training, which is research-based and highly interactive. Participants will work with real data from their districts, engage in practical experience that reflects the realities of their work, and collaborate with a national cadre of peers.
State Information Request: Teacher shortages. Education Commission of the States released an information request regarding teacher recruitment and retention strategies to address teacher shortages in the states.
The Landscape for University Preparation Improving University Principal Preparation Programs: Five Themes From the Field brings together findings from four reports commissioned by The Wallace Foundation to inform its development of a potential new effort focused on strengthening principal training. In addition to confirming close-to-unanimous agreement among district and university educators about principals’ important role in advancing student achievement, it identifies five themes…
Latest report released from the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC), Laboratories of Reform? Human Resource Management Strategies in Illinois Charter Schools (IERC 2016-1) by IERC senior researcher, Bradford White. This study examines whether Illinois charter schools are operating as “laboratories of reform” to implement strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining teacher talent.
Black male teachers a dwindling demographic. (Education Week—February 17). America’s K-12 schools have never been more diverse, with nonwhite students now outnumbering whites, but efforts to diversify the nation’s teaching corps haven’t kept pace. As a group, U.S. teachers remain overwhelmingly white and female—and black men are the most underrepresented demographic in the teaching ranks. Read more.
MT university looks to put a twist on social media. The University of Montana’s College of Education is putting a twist on Twitter: It’s not only creating a digital footprint; it’s using the social-media tool in an attempt to lead professional development in the field. (Missoulian, February 21).
State Accreditation of Principal Preparation Programs Intended for state officials involved in the assessment and approval of university and other programs to train future school principals, Improving State Evaluation of Principal Preparation Programs describes key design principles for rigorous state evaluation of principal preparation programs.
