| Making Sense Of Data Driven Decision Making In Education |  |
| A white paper that synthesizes information from several large studies with the aim of clarifying the ways that data are being used in schools and districts for data-driven decision making |  |
| Benefits Of And Lessons Learned From Linking Teacher And Student Data | |
| Increasingly, federal and state leaders are using longitudinal data systems for both policymaking and school improvement. In response, states are investing more resources in the systems' design, development and use. The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has championed the development of state data systems based on 10 essential elements. | |
| Linking Teacher And Student Data To Improve Teacher And Teaching Quality (PDF) | |
| A report that focuses on the importance of establishing data systems that link teacher, school, and student information. Examples of states who are creating and using such systems are highlighted. | |
| Data Quality Campaign | |
| A national effort to encourage and support state policymakers to improve the collection of data and improve data systems. | |
| Policy Brief: Is A Laptop Initiative In Your Future? (PDF) | |
| A report that discusses the results of several evaluations of one to one initiatives. The report details the benefits of one to one initiatives and outlines key components to success. | |
| Toward A New Golden Age In American Education: How The Internet, The Law, And Today's Students Are Revolutionizing Expectations (PDF) | |
| A technology plan from the U.S. Department of Education that reports on technology's role in improved student achievment and how schools are responding to the increasing competition of the global economy | |
| How To Make Great Teachers | |
| The author discusses important education policy questions facing Americans today: what does a good teacher look like, how do we create good teachers, and how should they be rewarded appropriately? This questions are important to consider in the quest to find and retain high-quality teachers. | |
| Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning? | |
| The idea of technology in education is to enhance learning, not limit it. Yet a large portion of students say teachers and school IT departments are doing just that: throwing up barriers to learning with the very technology that's supposed to facilitate it. And teachers, administrators, and parents seem to be largely unaware of this, according to the results of the 2007 Speak Up survey released Tuesday by Project Tomorrow. | |
| Technology Can Transform Schools (PDF) | |
| An article commenting on the results of the U.S. Department of Education's report on the effectiveness of technology in education. | |
| Voters Urge Teaching Of 21st-Century Skills | |
| Poll suggests 'back-to-basics' approach to education is not enough for nation's citizens | |
| Hoosiers Go High-Speed | |
| City leaders in Fort Wayne, Indiana plan to infuse the city with new life by convincing Verizon to wire the entire city as a business investment. As part of this effort, all of the schools were also linked with broadband. | |
| Improve Student Performance | |
| EDFacts is a U. S. Department of Education initiative to put performance data at the center of policy, management and budget decisions for all K-12 educational programs. | |
| State Strategies And Practices For Educational Technology: Volume I--Examining The Enhancing Education Through Technology Program (PDF) | |
| This volume describes state-level educational technology policies, focusing on the implementation of state-level Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) programs in the first years of operation. The report draws on survey data from both state educational technology directors and district-based educational technology coordinators that were collected by the National Educational Technology Trends Study (NETTS). | |
| Report Urges U.S. To Think 'Big' About Broadband | |
| Higher-ed group says it's time for nationwide, open access to high-speed internet service | |
| Technology In Schools: Suggestions, Tools, And Guidelines For Assessing Technology In Elementary And Secondary Education (PDF) | |
| A report developed by the National Center for Educational Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education and the Technology in Schools Task Force to facilitate the assessment of technology used to support education. | |
| SETDA's National Trends Report 2007 | |
| The No Child Left Behind, Title II, Part D, Enhancing Education Through Technology (NCLB II D) program requires that states and schools focus their uses of technology on closing the achievement gap. While currently most states are implementing Round 5 (FY06) of the funding cycle, this report provides insights into the program implementation for Round 4 (FY05) and documents trend data across Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4. | |
| Mapping Educational Progress 2008 | |
| Six years after No Child Left Behind's passage, we have collected more data than ever before about the academic performance of our students and schools. See data on how we're doing as a nation -- student achievement in reading and math, high school graduation rates, schools making adequate yearly progress, highly qualified teachers, parents taking advantage of tutoring and choice options, state participation in flexibility options, and more. | |
| Buried Treasure (PDF) | |
| A report that demonstrates how to create a 'management guide' for effective development and use of evidence-based indicators of school, teacher, and student performance. | |
| Four Steps To A Better Technology Grant Proposal | |
| Article that discusses four steps to write better grant proposals | |
| Ten Big Ideas For Better Classrooms | |
| Ten ideas for improving public education are identified in this video, along with examples of each idea in action. The ten big ideas are: project-based learning, technology integration, integrated studies, cooperative learning, comprehensive assessment, emotional intelligence, teacher preparation, parent involvement, community partners, and maximize resources. | |
| Students Want The 21st Century Classroom But Schools Not Meeting Student Expectations | |
| Results from the 5th Annual Speak Up survey, the largest annual national survey of K-12 students, teachers, parents, and school administrators, about the use of technology and science resources. Speak Up 2007 revealed a growing "digital disconnect" between students and their teachers and parents about the role of technology for learning, and how well schools are doing to prepare students for the jobs of the future. | |
| A New Day For Learning | |
| In most areas of the contry, schools have not changed in many years, and the educational system looks the same as it always has. Some people are making efforts to change the educational system though. This video illustrates examples of reform efforts throughout the country, where schools are emphasizing things like community collaboration, real world learning, and distance learning. | |
| Banning Student Containers | |
| An article about the missed oportunities and possible harm schools are doing by banning the very technologies that will prepare students for a global economy. | |
| How To Raise Big-Time Funds | |
| Almost every classroom in America needs more funding, but many educators are unsure about how to bring in revenue. The author offers strategies and techniques for attracting this funding. | |
| Boost The Credibility Of Your Grant Proposal With A Solid Review Of Existing Research | |
| Ways to improve grant proposals with a solid review of existing research | |
| Cowan Sunset High School | |
| Cowan Sunset High School in Las Vegas caters to about 500 students who would have otherwise dropped out of school . The school provides a day nursery for moms and dads, and the school day runs from 2-9pm in order to allow students to work in the mornings or evenings. Students report that the teachers are understanding at Cowan, and they enjoy the different environment that the school provides. | |
| Achieving With Data (PDF) | |
| A report from a study that looked at key strategies of four school systems that are leaders in using data for instructional decision making and improving student achievement. | |
| Developing A Budget For A Grant Proposal | |
| Article about creating a budget for a grant proposal | |
| Developing Minds | |
| The UrbanPlan curriculum is a three week project-based learning exercise that has been implemented in schools across the nation. Teams of high school juniors and seniors compete to win the redevelopment contract for a decaying neighborhood in the fictitious city of Yorktown. The curriculum combines government and economics classes and applies them to real-world situations. | |
| Funding Toolbox | |
| Article about funding and grant seeking | |
| Grants And Funding Alert | |
| Newsletter about grant writing | |
| NETS For Administrators (PDF) | |
| ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators. Profiles are included for principals, district program directors, and superintendents. | |
| Out Of The Office And Into the Classroom | |
| For many principals weighed down by the time demands of bus schedules and budgets, improving instruction too often takes a back seat. This brief journalistic account describes how schools in nine states are testing a new position, called School Administration Manager (SAM), whose job is to help free principals of many of these administrative distractions and allow them to spend more time on instructional matters. The goal of this promising new approach, pioneered by the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools with Wallace's support, is to hire a SAM to assume operational functions, track the principal's time to see how much she is spending on instruction, and provide coaching to ensure that the principal actually becomes more focused on instruction. | |
| Data Based Decision Making (PDF) | |
| An article describing three states' data-based decision-making initiatives funded by the Wallace Foundation's State Action for Education Leadership Project II. | |
| Secrets To Success | |
| This article lists common features that successful schools share. While there is not one single factor that is at the core of a successful school, many exhibit the characteristics illustrated in this article. | |
| Starting Over | |
| Administrators in Oakland, CA came together to talk about the struggles they face when managing their respective schools. Out of this, the New School Development Group was created. This group recruited principals and coached them with the idea that in the end, 12 new schools would be created based upon their vision. The video follows the experience of one principal who started a new small school as a result of hte New School Development Group. | |
| Success Spoken Here | |
| The John Stanford International School fosters an appreciation of diversity among its students. The school provides a multicultural perspective to children, technology is integrated into art and music, and there is a great deal of parental and community involvement. The most important feature of the school is its language immesion program though; students learn math and science in either Spanish or Japanese. | |
| Technology In K12 Education (PDF) | |
| A white paper that asserts that how technology is used is more important than if it is used in schools, and that we must transform our thinking about education in order to realize the potential of technology in education. | |
| Technology Standards For School Administrators (PDF) | |
| A report that defines technology standards for school administrators. The standards define the specifics of what administrators need to know and be able to do to lead the effective use of technology in schools. | |
| Critical Issue: Enhancing System Change And Academic Success Through Assistive Technologies For K12 Students With Special Needs | |
| In this Critical Issue, we draw from successful assistive technology initiatives in Wisconsin and Schaumburg School District 54, Illinois, to frame our focus on key elements of effective systemic change to improve schools. | |
| Michigan's One to One Experience | |
| An article describing the results of an evaluation of a successful laptop program in Michigan. Lessons learned, professional development, and changes to classroom teaching are discussed. | |
| Professional Development: A Results-Driven Approach To Teacher Development | |
| As Long Beach Unified puts the finishing touches on its standards-based curriculum, professional development built on rigorous teacher standards is becoming the top priority. "It's really coming down to what is happening in a classroom with 35 kids and one teacher." | |
| Insight: The SouthCentral Instrument Library and Data Repository | |
| An evaluation resource that serves a broad range of educational constituents. | |
| International Society For Technology In Education (ISTE) | |
| suggest ways programs can incrementally examine how well candidates meet the standards. The Profiles correspond to four phases in the typical preparation of a teacher. | |
| Schools Mull Needs Of Adult Distance Learners | |
| Many ed-tech advocates have voiced support for distance learning as a way for K-12 students to take courses not offered at their regular schools or enroll in courses for college credit. But another group of learners--adults who turn to distance learning to return or expand their schooling--is attracting more and more national attention. | |
| Community: Part Two (PDF) | |
| Online learning offerings can expand access to life-long educational opportunities that transcend traditional schooling. When courses are available online, community members can connect to classes that interest them or that they need to improve their employment prospects. Public access to technology can ensure that these educational opportunities are available for those who lack access at home. | |