This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Julie Peters, Elfrieda H. Hiebert, Michelle R. Davis, Cassandra M. Guarino, Julie A. Marsh, Leanne Kallemeyn, Priscilla Wohlstetter, Lisa A. Brooks, Nancy E. Larsen, and Crystal Johnson.
(2013). Neoliberalism, Social Darwinism, and Consumerism Masquerading as School Reform, Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education. Education reform policies harvested from neoliberalism, social Darwinism, consumerism, and free-market ideologies have begun to replace the pragmatic progressivism of the pre-World War II era. In this article, I use three federal and state education reform policies and programs–No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core State Standards Initiative, and national standardized testing–as examples of market-oriented ideologies embedded in the reforms. Further, I rely on Critical Social Theory, following Freire, as a framework to examine how the education policies and programs intersect to potentially impede access to quality education opportunities for children from impoverished backgrounds. I use Freire's conception of Critical Social Theory because of his focus on how education should be used as a transformational mechanism to improve lives rather than a tool to train and inculcate children to imitate and be subservient to the dominant culture. I argue that some federal education policies enacted since 2002 provide examples of the confluence of ideologies that are creating a new meritocracy-based system. The meritocracy-based system will disproportionately penalize poorer students who have less access to out of school experiences that prepare them for formal schooling. Based on punishment triggers embedded in state and federal education policies, a cycle of educational austerity ensues when a student does not achieve a mandatory achievement benchmark. The cycle of austerity can doom some students to under-achievement in the short term and to becoming under-educated in the long term. [More] Descriptors: Neoliberalism, Consumer Education, Social Attitudes, Free Enterprise System
(2013). Recent Trends in Intergovernmental Relations: The Resurgence of Local Actors in Education Policy, Educational Researcher. In this essay, the authors explore trends in intergovernmental relations (IGR) by analyzing recent education policies–No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core State Standards, and local empowerment policies. Identifying a resurgent role for local actors in education policy, the authors argue that recent federal efforts to exert more control have in many ways strengthened the influence of local actors by providing avenues for school districts and other local "non-system" players to challenge traditional governance arrangements. In a similar vein, because the federal government's ability to achieve its goals rests primarily on actions of local players, federal policies have in the course of implementation strengthened the hand of many local actors. Based on their analyses, the authors stress that IGR is not a zero-sum game. As one level gains power in certain domains, other levels may simultaneously acquire power in the same or different domains. The authors further argue that relations among federal, state, and local governments are bidirectional. Federal policy often requires states and districts to alter local policies, and conversely, decisions made by states and districts can also influence federal decisions. The authors begin the essay with an overview of the intergovernmental landscape, followed by an analysis of current education policies to illustrate the ways in which local actors have retained and asserted significant control over schooling, despite the expanded federal role in education policy. The essay concludes with questions for future research and practice. [More] Descriptors: Trend Analysis, Educational Policy, State Standards, Federal Legislation
(2013). Ambitious U.S. History Teachers Bringing Professional Development into the Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study, Research in the Schools. Understanding how to engage history teachers in effective professional development, rooted in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), is critical with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. In this study, we utilized Grant and Gradwell's (2010) notion of ambitious teachers, which built upon Shulman's (1986) concept of PCK, to understand the instructional decision-making of secondary U.S. history teachers participating in professional development through a Teaching American History (TAH) grant. We used a sequential mixed methods study design, which included 3 critical case studies of teachers and a cluster analysis of survey findings from 51 teachers. We described teachers' classroom practices related to historical content and skills, in relation to teachers' involvement in professional development and their schooling contexts. The findings of this study provide examples of ambitious U.S. history teachers who provided student-centered instruction that engaged students in the discipline of history. For contexts similar to this study, an implication of the study findings might be to incorporate approaches in professional development that are rooted in PCK and that help teachers understand their students. [More] Descriptors: United States History, History Instruction, Secondary School Teachers, Faculty Development
(2013). The Uncommon Core, Educational Leadership. This author contends that the United States neglects creativity in its education system. To see this, he states, one may look at the Common Core State Standards. If one searches the English Language Arts and Literacy standards for the words "creative," "innovative," and "original"–and any associated terms, one will find scant mention of the words and the ideas they represent. Readers should find this troubling. Supporters of the new standards will likely note that creativity relates more to instructional methodology than to literacy and that the Common Core initiative leaves choices about methodology to teacher practitioners. Although this deference to teachers' judgment is appreciated, there are three problems with this reasoning. At this point in history, certain competencies and understandings should be outlined in the basic literacy standards. The author has four suggestions for what educators should add to the new standards, all tied to creativity and technology: (1) Adopt art as the 4th "R"; (2) Teach media grammar; (3) Adopt "creatical" thinking; and (4) Spur thinking about technology. [More] Descriptors: Thinking Skills, Creativity, Literacy, Technology
(2013). Recent Retirement Trends of Tennessee Teachers. Policy Brief. Tennessee has undertaken several wide-ranging reforms aimed at educator practice and effectiveness over the past several years, including the launch of a new teacher evaluation system, modification of teacher tenure policy, and initial implementation of Common Core State Standards. This report from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) investigates patterns of teacher retirement in the years surrounding these policy changes. The analysis is concerned not only with the overall levels of teacher retirement in the state but also with the relative effectiveness of those who stay and leave the teacher workforce through retirement. It was found that retirement rates have risen since 2009, corresponding with a loss of an additional one percent of the teacher workforce or approximately 1,000 teachers per year. The rise in retirement has been steady since just prior to the onset of the reforms under Race to the Top, and has continued through the ensuing years. At the same time, there is evidence that current patterns of retirement are likely to strengthen the overall quality of the teacher workforce. First, among those eligible for retirement, teachers who choose to retire tend to be less effective than those that remain in the classroom. Moreover, retirement rates are becoming increasingly differentiated by teacher effectiveness, with the more effective teachers choosing to stay longer in the classroom and the less effective teachers choosing to leave at higher rates. [More] Descriptors: Teacher Retirement, Trend Analysis, Educational Policy, Teacher Effectiveness
(2013). Visual Thinking Strategies: Using Art to Deepen Learning across School Disciplines, Harvard Education Press. "What's going on in this picture?" With this one question and a carefully chosen work of art, teachers can start their students down a path toward deeper learning and other skills now encouraged by the Common Core State Standards. The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) teaching method has been successfully implemented in schools, districts, and cultural institutions nationwide, including bilingual schools in California, West Orange Public Schools in New Jersey, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It provides for open-ended yet highly structured discussions of visual art, and significantly increases students' critical thinking, language, and literacy skills along the way. Philip Yenawine, former education director of New York's Museum of Modern Art and cocreator of the VTS curriculum, writes engagingly about his years of experience with elementary school students in the classroom. He reveals how VTS was developed and demonstrates how teachers are using art–as well as poems, primary documents, and other visual artifacts–to increase a variety of skills, including writing, listening, and speaking, across a range of subjects. The book shows how VTS can be easily and effectively integrated into elementary classroom lessons in just ten hours of a school year to create learner-centered environments where students at all levels are involved in rich, absorbing discussions. An index is included. [More] Descriptors: Visualization, Thinking Skills, Teaching Methods, Art Education
(2013). What It Takes to Complete High School: The Shifting Terrain of Course and Diploma Requirements, Jobs For the Future. In recent months, several states have altered their high school course requirements in various ways, from creating endorsements within a single diploma to creating new diplomas. These states appear to be making changes for a variety of reasons: to elevate career and technical education; to emphasize STEM fields; to improve the alignment with nonremedial college entrance requirements; to provide options for students who are not heading to college right after high school. Whatever the reasons, and they do not seem to be in anticipation of Common Core State Standards, the new legislation and accompanying rules and regulations require scrutiny and a careful consideration of implications, both for themselves and for their relation to other categories of graduation requirements such as test scores, Carnegie Units, and new interest in competency- or proficiency-based assessments. Of particular interest is whether changes augment or undercut the ongoing effort to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready to succeed in postsecondary education–whether headed toward a certificate, an Associate's degree, or a four-year degree. Right now, with systems in flux across the nation, it is critical to track and pay attention to the trends. In that spirit, "What It Takes to Complete High School" focuses on one category of graduation requirement: courses required by states for students to attain a high school diploma. [More] Descriptors: High Schools, Graduation Requirements, Required Courses, High School Students
(2013). ACT National Curriculum Survey[R] 2012: Policy Implications on Preparing for Higher Standards. Every three to five years, the ACT National Curriculum Survey[R] asks educators about what they teach (or don't teach) in their courses and how important they feel various topics in their discipline are for students to know to be successful in these courses and in future coursework. The survey also asks educators for their opinions on educational topics of current interest, such as the college readiness of their students or the implementation of improved standards, such as ACT's College Readiness Standards or the Common Core State Standards. The National Curriculum Survey is a critical step in the process used to build and regularly update a valid suite of ACT assessments that is empirically aligned to college readiness standards. The survey helps to inform the test blueprint for the assessments. This policy report highlights the findings of the survey, describes in detail the findings leading to the implications, and offers policy recommendations suggested by the findings and the implications. Description of Survey Sample and Process is appended. [More] Descriptors: College Readiness, State Standards, National Curriculum, National Surveys
(2013). Online Testing Suffers Setbacks in Multiple States, Education Week. Widespread technical failures and interruptions of recent online testing in a number of states have shaken the confidence of educators and policymakers in high-tech assessment methods and raised serious concerns about schools' technological readiness for the coming common-core online tests. The glitches arose as many districts in the 46 states that have signed on to the Common Core State Standards are trying to ramp up their technological infrastructure to prepare for the requirement that students take online assessments starting in 2014-15. Disruptions of testing were reported across Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Oklahoma and were linked to the states' assessment providers: CTB/McGraw-Hill, in Indiana and Oklahoma; ACT Inc., in Kentucky; and the American Institutes for Research, in Minnesota. Thousands of students experienced slow loading times of test questions, students were closed out of testing in mid-answer, and some were unable to log in to the tests. Hundreds, if not thousands, of tests may be invalidated. The difficulties prompted all four states' education departments to extend testing windows, made some state lawmakers and policymakers reconsider the idea of online testing, and sent district officials into a tailspin. [More] Descriptors: Computer Assisted Testing, Testing Problems, Reliability, Public Schools
(2013). Plan for Success: The AASL Planning Guide for Empowering Learners, Knowledge Quest. School librarians throughout the country struggle to determine how to enact meaningful change that will strengthen their programs. They seek ways to increase collaboration with classroom teachers, to prepare their collections to meet the needs of the new Common Core State Standards, and to offer highly effective programs that prepare students to master information literacy and technology skills. What is the solution? How can a school librarian provide the leadership needed to successfully navigate these changing times? Help is available in the form of the AASL online tool "A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners, with School Library Program Assessment Rubric." This online planner provides the direction and tools needed to create an educational program, and guides the school librarian and the school library's stakeholders through the planning process, from mission to assessment. Planning is key to improving and strengthening programs, to managing the enormous changes occurring in education and technology, and to meeting the challenges wrought by downturns in the economy. Updating the plan, implementing it, and continuing to assess it provides the school librarian with the framework needed to create and maintain a relevant and vibrant school library program. [More] Descriptors: Library Associations, Guides, School Libraries, Library Development
(2013). "Laying Bare of Questions Which Have Been Hidden by Answers": The English Language Arts Standards of the Common Core, K-5, Language and Literacy Spectrum. The authors question the answer the national Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) claims. The questions center on the validity of the new standardized tests based on the CCSS and teachers' evaluations being tied to student test scores on flawed tests. The proposed tests on the CCSS will position children as deficient, and will not recognize the Funds of Knowledge children and their families bring to the educational transaction. The developers of the proposed new tests seem particularly uninformed on much research of how children learn new vocabulary. The authors question the literary theory (New Criticism) and learning theory (information processing) that undergird the CCSS, which exclude theories and research (transactional theory, critical literacy, Funds of Knowledge, arts-based research) that could be beneficial, especially to children of color and the poor. The authors question the validity of dictating percentages of informational and literary texts, and the lack of emphasis on the emotional lives of children (the word "analysis" appears 94 times in the CCSS). They question whether the CCSS are truly internationally benchmarked when children are not biologically nor developmentally capable of some of the demands in the early grades, and impose standards not shared by Finland and China that may make American students less competitive, not more. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Standardized Tests, Test Validity, Comparative Education
(2013). Findings and Preliminary Recommendations from the Michigan State and Indiana University Research Study of Value-Added Models to Evaluate Teacher Performance, Education Policy Center, Michigan State University. The push for accountability in public schooling has extended to the measurement of teacher performance, accelerated by federal efforts through Race to the Top. Currently, a large number of states and districts across the country are computing measures of teacher performance based on the standardized test scores of their students and using them in combination with other indicators to help categorize teachers as effective or ineffective. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in a majority of states and the development of specific assessments that align with them, it is particularly urgent to open up the field right now to discuss and shed light on best practices in computing teacher performance measures. The market for new assessments coupled with derivative products that compute teacher effectiveness measures–each promoting a particular methodology–is becoming increasingly competitive. Policy makers must make informed decisions on which products and procedures they will use. A research team at Michigan State and Indiana Universities has contributed a number of key insights to the body of research on best practices in computing teacher performance measures and is in the process of disseminating its findings. This paper describes the project, its findings, and its preliminary recommendations for policy. Bios of principal investigators are appended. [More] Descriptors: Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Effectiveness, Models, Program Descriptions
(2013). Changing the Rules to Increase Discourse, Teaching Children Mathematics. This article describes how one of the authors, second-grade teacher Lisa A. Brooks, challenged the raise-your-hand to-speak rule. Her desire to make this change was a result of experiences gained in a graduate class taught by the second author, Juli K. Dixon. Brooks had learned that it is possible to create a classroom community where students share their mathematical understanding and misunderstanding through student-driven discourse. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) document emphasizes Standards for Mathematical Practice. "The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students" (CCSSI 2010, p. 6). One Standard for Mathematical Practice is for students to achieve the ability to "construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others". This practice describes how students should be interacting with the mathematics and with one another. Research indicates that this sort of involvement promotes understanding (Peressini and Knuth 2000; Kazemi and Stipek 2001). Asking students to construct viable arguments gives them an opportunity to provide reasoning along with their answers. The assumption is that students will make their case on the basis of their understanding of the mathematics. Their arguments must include the pathway to the solution as well as a justification of why their solution is acceptable. A process of negotiation between the teacher and students establishes the teacher's clear expectations and involves the students. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Classroom Communication, Classroom Techniques, Grade 2
(2013). What Happens to the Basics?, Educational Leadership. Schools in the United States are making curricular changes from kindergarten through college to meet the Common Core State Standards' demands for higher expectations in reading and writing. As they make these important changes, however, they need not overturn all that they learned about effective reading pedagogy during No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is better to think of the Common Core movement not as a reversal of NCLB, but as the next step on a journey toward close, critical reading and powerful writing. Part of No Child Left Behind's legacy is the understanding that certain skills (such as knowing letter names and sounds and decoding unknown words) are foundational to more advanced skills (such as reading critically and writing compellingly). Students need to learn the underlying, consistent patterns of written words. In plain talk, they need to crack the code. Schools must remember such basic skills as they move into the Common Core era, in which deeper learning and more advanced literacy assume a prominent role. Achieving these higher goals is where No Child Left Behind comes up short. Although NCLB has successfully focused educators' efforts on making sure that all students have basic literacy skills, it has not produced the thoughtful, critical readers and writers educators desire. By going beyond NCLB's fascination with the basics, schools can transform the literacy curriculum into what they wanted in the first place: a systematic effort to develop engaged and powerful readers, writers, and thinkers. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Literacy, Reading Instruction, Critical Reading
(2013). Preparing English Language Learners for Complex Reading, Educational Leadership. Although the Common Core state standards' goal of ensuring that every student leaves high school prepared to meet the demands of college and career is laudable, it's daunting for teachers who serve English language learners. The authors, educators at a private bilingual school in Mexico, describe how they used short excerpts of longer works giving pro and con opinions on compelling issues to engage their native Spanish-speaking middle school students and help them become familiar with the rhetorical approach and style of informational texts written in English. Excerpts were downloaded from ProCon.org, a nonprofit that presents such excerpts for educators' use. Silva and colleagues created five tasks aligned to five reading skills their students needed: identifying support for main ideas, detecting bias, distinguishing arguments from counterarguments, evaluating arguments, and drawing conclusions. Students worked through each task with three compelling topics-value of social networking sites, whether tablets should replace textbooks in schools, and whether drinking milk is healthy. They learned strategies as they tackled argumentative texts in a second language. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, English Language Learners, Private Schools, Bilingual Education