Extending the Reach

Unleashing Teacher Leadership: How Formal Teacher Leader Roles Can Improve Instruction

This Teach Factor report, published by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), examines the demand teachers have for leadership opportunities, need for expanded instructional leadership in schools to support principals, and provides examples of formalized roles associated with The System for Teacher and Student Advancement (TAP). NIET also provides additional resources aligned to this report for major stakeholders, including policymakers, district officials, principals, and teachers.

The Practice Base for How We Learn: Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

This Aspen Institute report shares the research base that all learning and teaching is social and emotional, and that this should be integrated with academic instruction to improve individual student outcomes and our overall education system. The report carries out a call to action from the National Commission’s Council of Distinguished Educators and lists ways that schools can ensure that social and emotional learning is integrated in academics.

High-Leverage Practices in Special Education

This guide, published by the Council for Exceptional Children in collaboration with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) and many partners, presents 22 high-leverage practices (HLPs) for K-12 special educators. These HLPs, when successfully implemented, have led to improved outcomes. The HLPs are categorized by: collaboration, assessment, social/emotional/behavioral, and instruction. The guide shares corresponding resources about HLPs, including articles, videos, and reports.

High-Quality Curricula and Team-Based Professional Learning: A Perfect Partnership for Equity

This Learning Forward report explores the benefits of supporting educators to effectively collaborate in professional learning communities (PLCs) and to use standards-aligned, high-quality curricula. In an effort to address equity challenges within and across schools and districts, the report explores how a combination of high-quality teaching and instructional materials can positively impact student learning and achievement.

Professional Learning Toolkit

This Education Resource Strategies toolkit organizes resources that connect training and development to the work that teachers accomplish on a daily basis. Resources are categorized into three groups: rigorous and comprehensive curricula and assessments, content-focused and expert-led collaboration, and frequent, growth-oriented feedback. The types of resources highlighted range from student work protocols to observation and debrief tools.

Measurement Instruments for Assessing the Performance of Professional Learning Communities

This tool, created by the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, compiles nearly fifty quantitative and qualitative instruments to evaluate educator professional learning communities (PLCs) aimed to improve performance. Brief summaries are included for each instrument, including a short description of the tool, its availability and cost, and the population typically administered to.

A Data-Informed Approach to Social-Emotional Learning: Policy Recommendations for State and Local Leaders

This policy brief, published by Transforming Education, explains the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) and lists policies to actively assess SEL competencies in schools. Policy recommendations include gathering input of SEL in classrooms and schools, measuring students’ knowledge and demonstrations of SEL competencies, and using data to inform practices, initiatives, and opportunities. For each state and local recommendation, examples are provided from the Oregon Department of Education, NewSchools Venture Fund, and CORE districts.

Education Watch: The State of Educational Equity

This interactive tool by Education Trust provides data that can drive leaders to do better for all students, especially for students from low-income families, students of color, and English learners. The tool provides data at the state-level on critical measures of educational opportunity and achievement from preschool through higher education.

Rethinking English Learner Data: Illinois’ Plans Under the Every Student Succeeds Act

This New America report explores Illinois’ approach to serving students who are English Language Learners (EL), looking at strengths and challenges related to these EL student outcomes and how the state approaches these challenges in their Every Student Succeeds Act ESSA plans using a New America framework.

On Track or Falling Behind? How States Include Measures of 9th Grade Performance in Their ESSA Plans

In this brief, Achieve outlines a state-by-state comparison of early warning indicator systems. These systems measure aspects of 9th grade student performance to determine if students are ‘on track’ for future academic success or are at risk for dropping-out. The brief outlines how states have included these early warning ‘on track’ indicators into accountability and data efforts in their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans.

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