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6 Apr 2016
Blog Post

What Will ESSA Mean for English Learners?

English learners (ELs) are an increasingly significant student population, outpacing the demographic growth of non-EL students by more than 40 percent nationwide, and growing by as much as 800 percent in some states. In this blog post, Diane August and Erin Haynes take a look at how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) helps or hinders this critical student population.
Topic: 
P-12 Education and Social Development, English Language Learners, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
5 Apr 2016
Blog Post

Make Room for C-S in S-T-E-M

Computational skills are in high demand in many disciplines and careers, yet computer science (CS) education remains elusive, accessible to and accessed by only a select few. In this blog post, Courtney Tanenbaum and Melissa Rasberry call for increased computer science opportunities, especially for underserved populations.
Topic: 
P-12 Education and Social Development, STEM
29 Mar 2016
Blog Post

America’s Universities: The Best in the World—But at What Price?

America’s universities rank high on almost any list of the world’s best universities, but this high esteem rests on a highly unequal distribution of wealth. With less than 4% of the 1,600 or so not-for-profit private universities reporting endowments of more than $1 billion each, why are they tax-exempt? As Mark Schneider argues in this blog post, better tax policies would make sure that this vast accumulation of wealth can be put to better use serving the public welfare.
Topic: 
Higher Education and Career Readiness, Higher Education
23 Mar 2016
Blog Post

Have You Met Carl Perkins?

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education John King called for the reauthorization of The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act so that “every student, in every community, has access to rigorous, relevant, and results-driven CTE programs.” In this blog post, Chaney Mosley suggests five changes Congress should consider.
Topic: 
Higher Education and Career Readiness, College and Career Readiness
16 Mar 2016
Blog Post

States Can Drive Change to Make Principals Prepared on Day One

Too many new principals say they are underprepared for critical leadership tasks which—combined with high job demands, poor support, and increased accountability—raises principal stress to a boiling point. In this blog post, Matthew Clifford describes 18 “high leverage” state-level policies that hold promise for increasing innovation and improving principal preparation.
Topic: 
P-12 Education and Social Development, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Principal Preparation and Performance
7 Mar 2016
Blog Post

What Can Massachusetts’ Wraparound Zones Teach Us About School Turnaround?

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states the authority and flexibility to turn around their lowest performing schools. In this blog post, Allison Gandhi asks if states can succeed where federal policy requirements have run into walls, using the success of the Massachusetts Wraparound Zone initiative as an example.
Topic: 
P-12 Education and Social Development, District and School Improvement, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Families, Communities, and Social Systems, Trauma-Informed Care
25 Feb 2016
Blog Post

Making ESSA Work One Principal at a Time

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) puts each state in the driver’s seat for making its own K-12 policy. In this blog post, Peter Cookson discusses what this means for educational equity.
Topic: 
P-12 Education and Social Development, Equity in Education, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Principal Preparation and Performance
23 Feb 2016
Blog Post

CTE Lets Students Try Out Their Dream Jobs

In this blog post, AIR expert Chaney Mosley discusses the importance of career and technical education (CTE) classes to help students plan for the future.
Topic: 
Higher Education and Career Readiness, College and Career Readiness, P-12 Education and Social Development
17 Feb 2016
Blog Post

Critical Shortages in Special Education Teachers. Sound Familiar?

Teacher shortages may be the most acute problem in special education. In this blog post, Lynn Holdheide and Jenny DeMonte explore the issue and ask, "What drives special education teachers out of that role? And how can we keep them?"
Topic: 
P-12 Education and Social Development, Special Education, Teacher Preparation and Performance
16 Feb 2016
Blog Post

Beyond Shame and Blame in the Classroom

On February 12th, a New York Times story linked to a video of a teacher in a well-known New York City charter school losing her temper and humiliating a first grader. In this blog post, Angela Minnici and David Osher contend that the video and some reactions to it reveal a faulty understanding of the kind of educational experiences students—especially the most vulnerable—need to succeed in school, career, and civic life and of the role the adults play in creating those experiences.
Topic: 
Social and Emotional Learning, P-12 Education and Social Development, School Climate and Safety, School Discipline