Evaluation systems appear to be one of the most rapidly changing policy issues affecting teachers in recent years. This paper provides a brief synopsis of the process of dissecting the evaluation system.
What do teachers themselves think of policies that address identifying and retaining effective teachers? What conclusions should reformers draw from teachers’ perceptions? This report suggests that what teachers think are good indicators of effectiveness—and what they think will make them more effective—are not always aligned with what policymakers or researchers ...
Teachers matter. Educators, policymakers and the general public alike agree that great teachers are vital to a thriving K-12 education system, yet the pathways to assembling a high quality teaching force remain elusive. This case study of Garden Grove Unified School District, winner of the 2004 Broad Prize for Urban ...
The complex factors contributing to youth violence in the U.S. and abroad are found at the individual, family, community, and societal levels. Through centers such as the National Resource Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention and the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, AIR provides resources ...
The School Improvement Grant program awarded grants to states that agreed to implement one of four school intervention models—transformation, turnaround, restart, or closure—in their lowest-performing schools. This final report builds on the earlier briefs and report by including an additional year of data and by examining whether receipt of SIG ...
The pandemic affected nearly all sectors of society, including some of the areas where AIR focuses its work—education, workforce development, and health. On the two-year anniversary of this historic moment, we asked our experts to reflect on the pandemic’s unexpected consequences, adaptations that may outlast the pandemic itself, and any ...
To support the student learning objective (SLO) implementation and sustainability process, states and districts can provide resources for teachers, evaluators, and SLO leaders that improve the quality of SLOs, rigor of assessments, and consistency of scoring. This report outlines the importance of these resources while considering the variety of implementation ...
The effort to link statistically student achievement to measures of teaching or teachers has proven very difficult. Analysts generally agree that the impacts of effective teachers on student achievement are important. The problem for analysts has been in identifying the characteristics of high quality teaching or teachers. ...
Since January 1, 2014, consumers and small businesses have had access to new health insurance Marketplaces (or Exchanges). Consumers in every state and the District of Columbia are able to buy qualified health plans available through their state’s Marketplace. This report describes the results of AIR consumer website usability testing, ...
This spotlight takes a look at the history of Title I, how the program has changed over time, and how it affects children, schools, families and education policy. Experts weigh in on the program's past and future in interviews, briefs, and blogs.