Teachers want to innovate. Schools that don’t let them are losing out

This piece was originally published in The 74. Waite: Education entrepreneurs are taking their creativity and ingenuity to hybrid schools and microschools — and taking their students with them At the end of April, I attended a conference in Atlanta featuring a small but heterogenous group of self-described education entrepreneurs. It was the second year […]

How states can support ongoing academic recovery

This piece was originally published on EdNote, the Education Commission of the States’ blog. School closures, quarantines and staffing uncertainties have contributed to the biggest math and reading declines our country has seen in more than two decades. The recent State of the American Student report from the Center for Reinventing Public Education describes the contours of the crisis […]

First literacy, now math: Oakland REACH prepares to train more tutors

We can all see where the good jobs are going. By 2025, there will be 25 million digital jobs in this country – more than manufacturing and construction combined. This means that there’s no other option: Our kids must be able to read and do math to have good jobs and good lives. But right now, […]

SEL, mentoring, career prep: Schools that deliver what parents say they want

This piece was originally published in The 74. Waite: Changing the DNA of how schools educate students is hard, long-term work. A diverse set of 251 schools are showing what that work looks like. In the aftermath of the pandemic, lawmakers, researchers and advocates have expended enormous efforts to determine what the American public, particularly […]

20 years of testing: A teacher looks back; new reports look forward

New research on the effectiveness of federal K-12 policies is part of national effort to improve testing and accountability mandates In 2009, I was a third grade teacher. I remember preparing for my annual evaluation with my principal, which included an observation of my classroom, my weekly lesson plans, and my students’ end-of-year test scores. […]

Addressing pandemic fallout: New call for proposals

Test scores have plummeted and racial disparities are widening. Student misbehavior and adult political disputes are disrupting teaching. Mental health needs are soaring. And more graduates are opting out of immediate college enrollment, bypassing the traditional path into America’s professional workforce – potentially for good. To address such urgent developments, the Center on Reinventing Public […]

Pandemic devastation demands more student-centered learning practices

This article was originally published on Ed Post.  After three disrupted school years, America’s K-12 learners collectively have significant unfinished learning and unmet mental health needs. While educators are working hard to help their students, our school systems simply aren’t designed to address gaps this large. The urgency to address the wildly disparate and varying needs of […]

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