The following is a list of recent resources for those focused on the professional improvement of teachers, principals, and other educational leaders.
How Denver, CO’s School Tax Increase Could Help Teacher Aides Become Teachers and Diversify the Workforce The program aims to address a growing teacher shortage—a problem impacting Colorado and the nation—while also increasing the number of teachers of color in DPS. (Chalkbeat, Oct. 12)
New Leaders just unveiled a new website that reintroduces New Leaders and their full suite of leadership programs.
Listening to and Learning from Teachers: A Summary of Focus Groups on the Common Core and Assessments This report builds on the national teacher survey the Center on Education Policy (CEP) conducted last year. CEP met with small groups of teachers in four states to talk specifically about the Common Core and new assessments. The discussions were frank and overwhelmingly positive, with teachers eager to strengthen and improve their instruction and to contribute to fine tuning the new assessments. The report shares their feedback and views and offers policy recommendations for state and local leaders.
Creating a Coherent System to Support Instruction Aligned with State Standards: Promising Practices of the Louisiana Department of Education Using data from the American Teacher Panel, RAND researchers found that Louisiana teachers were more likely than other teachers to consult resources that address their state standards, and they reported teaching—and thinking about teaching—in ways that differ from U.S. norms and in ways that are more aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Researchers examined Louisiana Department of Education strategies that might be contributing to these results, including a coherent academic strategy, transparent and regular communication with stakeholders, and support for local decision-making. This report is intended to provide guidance to states about sensible state systems that give educators coherent messages and concrete tools to help students meet high academic standards.
The National Conference of State Legislatures published the LegisBrief “Funding Social Programs with Social Impact Bonds.”
