McREL's Newsroom Feed

New Teachers Face Three Common Challenges

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 10 May 2012 00:00:00

The first year of teaching is not easy�in fact, 15 percent of new teachers leave the profession after the first year, and 14 percent change schools. McREL's Bryan Goodwin describes three common challenges: New teachers often lack classroom management skills; have little guidance in lesson and unit planning; and don't get the support they need from other teachers or their principals. He suggests administrators make investments in new teachers early on, such as providing effective mentors, scheduling planning periods with colleagues, and reducing workloads.

Source: Educational Leadership

Using Similarities and Differences: A Meta-Analysis of Its Effects and Emergent Patterns

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 8 May 2012 00:00:00

McREL's recent study on the effectiveness of using similarities and differences, one of the nine Classroom Instruction That Works strategies, appeared in the April issue of this peer-reviewed journal. Conducted by Helen Apthorp, Charles Igel, and Ceri Dean, the study updates the original meta-analytic findings to include research from the last decade, which confirmed the effectiveness of facilitating student comparison, classification, use of analogies, and use of metaphors.

Source: School Science and Mathematics (by subscription only)

Regional Educational Labs Explore Alliances on College, Career Readiness

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 8 May 2012 00:00:00

Blogger Sarah Sparks reports on the American Educational Research Association conference, where researchers for various regional educational laboratories�including McREL's REL Pacific�spoke about college and career readiness in their regions. McREL's Akiemi Glenn said researchers often have to convince schools and community leaders in the Pacific that college is a good thing, given the lack of jobs for college graduates and the fact that many teachers have only high school degrees. The lab is working to explore career paths that have community value, such as environmental sustainability technology.

Source: Education Week

McREL named Top Employer by The Denver Post

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 1 May 2012 00:00:00

McREL has been named a Denver-area Top Small Employer by The Denver Post. The ranking, for companies with fewer than 150 employees, is based on surveys that asked employees to score their companies on measures such as appreciation of workers, confidence in leadership, values and ethics, encouragement of ideas, competence of management, and pay and benefits.

Source: The Denver Post

Stopping childhood obesity before it begins

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 1 May 2012 00:00:00

In the April issue of PDK, McREL's Debbie Mazzeo, Sheila Arens, Carrie Germeroth, and Heather Hein write about the importance of regular physical activity among preschoolers. A lack of physical activity among children ages 3-5 contributes more to overweight and obese children than influences like parental modeling and the availability of fitness equipment at home. The authors describe one promising program implemented in Head Start classrooms called Let Me Play, which provides preschool teachers with training and materials on appropriate physical activities.

Source: Phi Delta Kappan (by subscription only)

Don't Overlook Middle-Skill Jobs

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 1 May 2012 00:00:00

With a high unemployment rate among college graduates and skyrocketing college costs, a four-year degree isn't what it used to be, writes McREL's Bryan Goodwin. Middle-skill jobs, which require a two-year degree and often pay as well or better than jobs that require four-year degrees, may provide a better opportunity for some students, especially those interested in high-demand 21st century technologies.

Source: Educational Leadership

Schools adopt new evaluation methods

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00

School districts in Edmund and Deer Creek, Oklahoma, are the latest two to adopt McREL's Principal Evaluation System. Since the state approved the system last December, five districts have joined on, with many more in the process of adopting.

Source: EdmundSun.com

Creating a New Reality

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 3 Apr 2012 00:00:00

McREL's Vicki Urquhart profiles the transformation of Barry Goldwater High School in Phoenix, Arizona, a large suburban school with an extremely diverse and highly transient student population. Staff raised the quality of instruction and student performance by identifying strengths and weaknesses, creating belief statements that changed the school's culture, and developing a purposeful community focused on achievement.

Source: Principal Leadership (by subscription only)

Generation Z, Meet Cooperative Learning

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 8 Mar 2012 00:00:00

McREL's Charles Igel and Vicki Urquhart wrote this article on the need of today's Generation Z teens to develop teamwork and social learning skills to be successful in the 21st century workplace. The authors discuss three key principles for successful cooperative learning, and assert that teachers can help students develop these skills and enhance academic achievement by implementing cooperative learning strategies.

Source: Middle School Journal (by subscription only)

Study identifies impact of school principal training program

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 7 Mar 2012 00:00:00

This article in Texas A&M University's online newspaper highlights findings from the Balanced Leadership study conducted by Roger Goddard, principal investigator and director of the Education Leadership Research Center at the university, and a team of Texas A&M and University of Michigan researchers. The study found that Balanced Leadership has the potential to create long-term changes in principals' job performance, school climate, teacher practice, and student learning.

Source: TAMU Times.com

Nine Tribal Education Depts., Local Ed. Agencies Profiled In Study

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 5 Mar 2012 00:00:00

In this Education Week blog, Diette Courrege profiles a McREL study, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, that examines partnerships between tribal education departments and local education agencies. The study looked at partnerships in nine communities, describing how they were created, what their goals and activities are, how they are funded, and the perspectives of those involved.

Source: Education Week

Deptford schools to implement new, state-mandated teacher evaluations before year's end

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00

West Deptford School District in Deptford Township, New Jersey, has decided to implement McREL's Teacher Evaluation System, one of four systems approved by the state, as early as this fall. The new program, according to the article, is expected to provide "more meaningful feedback to teachers and administration to improve the quality of education for students and adequately measure the level of effectiveness."

Source: NJ.com

Sedalia Elementary partners with McREL

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 7 Dec 2011 00:00:00

On December 7, McREL and Sedalia Elementary in Sedalia, Colorado, will formalize a partnership to create McREL's first-ever demonstration school. Sedalia, a low-performing, semi-rural school that is part of the high-performing, suburban Douglas County School District, hopes to reduce the achievement gap among its students through its work with McREL. The school will complete the Success in Sight approach to school improvement, which it began in 2010, as well as a number of other McREL programs aimed at improving achievement. In just over a year of work, Sedalia has increased its writing scores school-wide by 6 percent and, most notably, by 19 percent among 6th graders.

Source: OurCastleRockNews.com

TPS teacher evaluation system preferred as new state model

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 7 Dec 2011 00:00:00

Oklahoma's Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Commission has recommended McREL's Principal Evaluation System as the model for school leader evaluations in the state. For the teacher evaluation system, it has recommended Tulsa Public School's (TPS) system. The Commission, acting on a mandate for a new, state-wide evaluation system as part of the Oklahoma Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Act of 2010, will now send its recommendations to the state board of education for final approval.

Source: TulsaWorld.com

School Improvement, Step by Step

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 7 Dec 2011 00:00:00

In this article, McREL Principal Consultant Sammye Wheeler-Clouse and Senior Director Michael Siebersma, along with former Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Chief Academic Officer Deborah Backus, share the success story of Eiber Elementary, an under-performing school that the JCPS partnered with to ensure effective implementation of its improvement plan. Realizing it needed to get serious about monitoring how well school initiatives were carried out, the school worked with McREL to break down a large improvement goal into manageable parts, involve the entire staff, monitor and provide support along the way, and apply lessons learned to future initiatives.

Source: Educational Leadership

Grade Inflation: Killing with Kindness

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 8 Nov 2011 00:00:00

Bryan Goodwin's latest Educational Leadership article discusses the possibility of grade inflation and why it may be occurring. Using data from several studies, Goodwin shows that even though grades have risen over the years, student performance on national tests has not improved. He gives several possible reasons for grade inflation, including that teachers base grades on factors indirectly related to their learning, including effort, ability, behavior, and attitude. Goodwin concludes that if grade inflation is occurring, giving unrealistic grades only harms students when they fail in college because they do not have the necessary skills.

Source: Educational Leadership

McREL Teacher Evaluation System

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 8 Nov 2011 00:00:00

A profile of McREL's Teacher Evaluation System, written by Tony Davis and Bryan Goodwin, appears in the November issue of NJEA Review, a publication of the New Jersey Education Association. The profile describes the system, defines "good teaching," and addresses questions about the system's efficacy, how it uses data and promotes collaboration among educators, and how it differs from other models available to New Jersey schools. McREL's system has been approved by the New Jersey Department of Education as a provider of a standards-based evaluation system as part of the Excellent Educators for New Jersey Pilot Program.

Source: NJEA Review

Experts mentor school administrators, officials on 'balanced leadership'

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00

McREL's Greg Cameron and Mel Sussman traveled to Saipan recently to deliver a two-day professional development session on Balanced Leadership� to 50 educators in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI) Public School System (PSS). According to Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, the training, involving school administrators, key PSS staff members, and Board of Education members, continues work started a year ago that aims to improve the capability and leadership skills of not only school administrators but all stakeholders in the community who want to support student success.

Source: Saipan Tribune

Technology Revolution

info@mcrel.org (McREL) — 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00

Gary Sharp, technology director for the Monroe County (Tenn.) School System, recently attended a McREL Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works workshop, and came away inspired to break the barriers of "old-school learning" and embrace technology. The district, which recently hired a data and instructional technology coach through a school technology grant, is able to provide one-on-one training to teachers on how to take advantage of its 300 iPads and the iPad lab at its high school. "It's time to change," said Sharp. "We're in the 21st century and still trying to teach 20th century stuff."

Source: The Advocate and Democrat (Sweetwater, TN)