What went wrong in Miami?

The recent failure of the $100 million "School Improvement Zone" in Miami can be attributed to a lack of enforcement, an insufficient increase in instructional time, and the low staff morale in participating schools, according to Bryan Goodwin in the June 3 installment of the McREL Blog.

Study finds teacher evaluations usually rosy

Education Week

A study by the New Teacher Project finds that, in many school districts, most tenured teachers are rated as "above average." In fact, as many as 99 percent of all teachers receive satisfactory ratings on their evaluations, even though more than 80 percent of administrators admit that there is at least one teacher they know who deserves an unsatisfactory rating.

Learn how McREL has helped the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction improve the reliability of their teacher evaluations. The North Carolina Educator Evaluation System aligns the state's evaluation system with rigorous educator standards.

Poor attention in kindergarten predicts lower high school test scores

Science Daily

A new study appearing in this month's issue of Pediatrics suggests that children who have difficulty paying attention in school-as early as kindergarten-are more likely to drop out before completing high school. The study suggests that identifying and treating attention problems during the early school years may prevent what it refers to as "a downward spiral of failure."

Study: Virtual schools can help cut costs

eSchool News

New research from the University of Florida suggests that online classes are becoming more popular in K-12 public schools. The online courses lead to academic improvement and cost savings. The report suggests that the next decade will see an explosion of online courses to supplement and enhance traditional education.

Arts appear to play role in brain development

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Md.)

Recent brain studies suggest that training in the arts will help children succeed in other academic areas. Art education helps develop children's attention and intelligence, and scientists believe it also has a strong impact on mathematical achievement, though the exact link is not yet know.

Report points to risks of merit pay for teachers

Education Week

Although they are becoming increasingly popular, pay-for-performance incentives for teachers may actually do more harm than good, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute. The report points out that other industries rarely use this type of employee incentives because of the difficulties in accurately identifying and measuring performance indicators and risks of "gaming" the system.

Writing disorder may be common among kids

Forbes

Written-language disorder-the inability to write at the expected level based on age, intelligence and education- affects between 6.9 percent and 14.7 percent of children. Researchers evaluated 5,718 students in Rochester, Minn., and found that what they refer to as a "forgotten learning disability" affects a significant percentage of the population. The report suggests that boys are more likely to be diagnosed with this condition than girls.

The Condition of Education 2009

National Center for Education Statistics

This report summarizes the latest trends in education. Based on 46 indicators of the condition of education, the report examines participation in education, learner outcomes, student effort, and the contexts of education.

Food for Thought: Building a High-Quality School Choice Market

Education Sector

Although it has often been predicted that competition from charter schools would lead to improvements in public schools, new research has shown that this is not the case. The report suggests that charter schools don't provide the level of competition originally expected because many parents choose to send their children to traditional schools for reasons that don't have anything to do with real or perceived differences in quality.

Taking the Pulse of Bioscience Education in America: A State by State Analysis

Biotechnology Industry Organization

Students across the country are performing poorly and showing little interest in life sciences courses. This report analyzed all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, and found that only 28 percent of high school students nationwide are ready for college biology, with average scores steadily declining. The report suggests that including biotechnology standards in state science standards and taking a more systematic approach to professional development may solve this problem.

Lost Opportunity: A 50-State Report on the Opportunity to Learn in America

The Schott Foundation for Public Education

This report offers a state-by-state breakdown of student performance data, which reflects the opportunity to learn in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report finds that minority and low-income students have only half the opportunity to learn that their White peers do.

Balanced Leadership®

Learn how leaders make a difference for students

Lead your students to higher levels of achievement with knowledge and practical skills distilled from the largest-ever analysis of leadership research.
Location: McREL, Denver, Colo.
Dates: July 6-15, 2009

School-level Balanced Leadership based on School Leadership that Works: From Research to Results
An Overview July 6, 2009, $299
Developing a Purposeful Community July 7-8, 2009, $575
Managing Change July 9-10, 2009, $575
Choosing the Right Focus July 11, 2009, $299

District-level Balanced Leadership based on District Leadership that Works: Striking the Right Balance
School District Leadership That Works: An Overview July 13, 2009, $299
Connecting District and School Leadership to Student Achievement July 14, 2009, $299
District-level Leadership: A Systems Perspective July 15, 2009, $299

MetLife Foundation's Sharing the Dream Grant

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the MetLife Foundation

Elementary and middle-level principals are eligible to apply for the $3,000 "Sharing the Dream" grant to fund projects designed to increase community engagement in the school to help raise student achievement.
Application Deadline: July 8, 2009

Richard Riley Award

Honoring Excellence in Schools as Centers of Community

The American Architectural Foundation and the KnowledgeWorks Foundation are now accepting applications for the Richard Riley Award for schools serving as community learning centers. Schools demonstrating innovative designs and a commitment to student success can win $5,000 in funding.
Nomination Deadline: July 1, 2009

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will add much-needed funding to U.S. schools over the next two years.
With more than 40 years of experience helping educators translate research into lasting results for their systems and students, McREL can help your state or local agency ensure these one-time investments provide a long-term benefit to your students.
We're happy to answer your ARRA-related questions. Contact us today at info@mcrel.org or 1.800.781.0156