Department of Education Letter Could Put Cracks in the Credit Hour
In an update to the story that this blog has been tracking for some time (see our two past blogs about this subject here and here), the US Department of …
Promoting Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance
The Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education recently released a report called Expanding Evidence Approaches for Learning in a Digital World. The OET was most interested …
New Resources for 21st Century Learning Design
In 2012, Microsoft announced a new professional development program called 21st Century Learning Design (21CLD), formerly known as “LEAP21”, that helps teachers build innovative pedagogical practices and develop resources for …
The Shift from Cohorts to Competency
Digital Learning Now! (DLN), in partnership with Getting Smart and the Foundation for Excellence in Education recently released “The Shift from Cohorts to Competency.” This report takes a comprehensive look …
How should student content mastery be judged?
The Alliance for Excellent Education suggests that New Hampshire’s shift from “seat time” measures of student proficiency to “competency-based learning” measures is one that other states would do well to …
Re-thinking the credit hour?
Since 1906, the Carnegie Unit, or credit hour/student hour, has been the standard unit by which student progress and mastery in American secondary schools and colleges have been measured. The …
From ‘Tinkering to Utopia’ to ‘Remaking American Education’
Jal Mehta, assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-editor of The Futures of School Reform (2012), offers a clarion call to systematic educational reform in the …
High-Tech AND High-Touch
The Atlantic recently took a trip to San Jose, California to visit Rocketship Discovery Prep, one of seven schools run by Rocketship Education. Rocketship has been hailed as a model …
Business Resources for a College- and Career-Ready America
Achieve has released new resources directed toward the business community, to inform and rally more advocates for education reform. The Business Resources for a College- and Career-Ready America include modular …
Executive Order Establishes Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans
Last Wednesday, during his remarks at the National Urban League conference in New Orleans, President Obama announced he would sign an Executive Order to improve outcomes and advance educational opportunities …