Education Research Report Today

Education Research Report

Education Research Report Today

Declining Enrollment in Teacher Preparation Programs

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 17h

Complete report The state of the teaching profession is an urgent topic for policymakers and the public, especially against the backdrop of increased teacher strikes and walkouts across the country in the past two years. 1 Teacher salaries are far too low, which has led many teachers to work second jobs or qualify for public assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progra

International Comparisons of U.S. 15-year-old Performance in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 17h

This web report provides key comparative information about 15-year-old students in the United States and 77 other education systems that participated in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018. PISA is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and focuses on students’ ability to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned, both in and

Complete report Researchers at the Institute of Education at University College London have conducted a study that look...

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 18h

Complete report Researchers at the Institute of Education at University College London have conducted a study that looks at whether there are any educational advantages to attending private schools in the upper secondary years (Years 12 and 13/Grades 11 and 12). Published in the Oxford Review of Education, the study used data from the Centre for Longitudinal Studies' Next Steps cohort study and l

Review included studies that evaluate the effects of linguistic comprehension interventions on generalized language and reading outcomes

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 18h

Complete report The linguistic comprehension programs included in this review display a small positive immediate effect on generalized outcomes of linguistic comprehension. The effect of the programs on generalized measures of reading comprehension is negligible. Few studies report follow‐up assessment of their participants. 1.2 What is this review about? Children who begin school with proficient

Tools of the Mind: Marked benefits to kindergarten children and their teachers

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 18h

Complete report The kindergarten program, Tools of the Mind ( Tools ), has been shown to improve executive functions (as assessed by laboratory measures) and academic performance. The objective here was to see if Tools can improve executive functions in the real world (in the classroom), academic outcomes not previously investigated, reduce bullying and peer ostracism, and increase teachers’ and

Slight hearing loss may affect kids' behavior, school performance

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 21h

Children with slight hearing loss may do a little less well in school and may be a bit more likely to develop behavior problems, a new study suggests. SOURCE: bit.ly/34E1fv5 and bit.ly/34E6ieZ JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck 

Education Research Report

Special Report: Getting Reading Right - Education Week

Special Report: Getting Reading Right - Education Week

SPECIAL REPORT: GETTING READING RIGHT
What Teachers and Ed. Professors Know About Early Literacy

Learning to read is arguably the most important academic experience students will have during their school years. But it’s not a given.

The “nation’s report card” shows that just 35 percent of 4th graders are proficient readers. That’s despite decades of cognitive research clarifying exactly which skills students need to be taught to read fluently.

So what’s happening in schools—and in teacher preparation—that’s making it so hard for some students to gain these foundational skills? New data offer some insights. The Education Week Research Center conducted two nationally representative surveys, one of K-2 and special education teachers and one of education professors. The findings, presented throughout this reporting series, tell an illuminating story about what teachers do and don’t know about reading and where they learned it, as well as offer a path forward for improving reading instruction in classrooms throughout the country.

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Data: How Reading Is Really Being Taught

New survey data from Education Week show that most K-2 teachers and education professors are using instructional methods that run counter to the cognitive science.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

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EXPLAINER

How Do Kids Learn to Read? What the Science Says

The debate on how to teach early reading has raged for a century. But for the last few decades, the cognitive science has been clear: Teaching young kids how to crack the code—teaching systematic phonics—is the most reliable way to make sure that they learn how to read words.

October 2, 2019 – Education Week

Improving Reading Isn't Just a Teaching Shift. It's a Culture Shift

Flawed methods for teaching reading are often passed down through cherished mentors, popular literacy programs, and respected professional groups.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

A Look Inside One Classroom's Reading Overhaul

At an Ohio elementary school, teachers who once “did their own thing” are now using structured literacy programs—and despite some initial skepticism, they say they’re seeing gains.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

The Most Popular Reading Programs Aren't Backed by Science

An analysis of the five most-used programs for early reading shows that they often diverge from evidence-based practices.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

Comments (1)

Will the Science of Reading Catch on in Teacher Prep?

Many teachers leave preservice training without clarity on what the cognitive science says about how students learn to read.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

More Than Phonics: How to Boost Comprehension for Early Readers

Learning how to decode words is essential to becoming a reader. But research shows that building a strong vocabulary and knowledge-base is crucial as well.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

Is Phonics Boring? These Teachers Say It Doesn't Have to Be

Phonics, to some, means tedious worksheets and drills. But many teachers have found ways to enliven their instruction with songs, dances, and games.

December 4, 2019 – Education Week

Special Report: Getting Reading Right - Education Week

Education Department Could Do More For Student Loan Borrowers With Disabilities : NPR

Education Department Could Do More For Student Loan Borrowers With Disabilities : NPR

Why Student Loan Borrowers With Disabilities Aren't Getting The Help They Deserve

Denise had no idea her student loans could be erased. In 2007, a truck rear-ended her car. The accident ravaged her legs and back, and the pain made it impossible for her to work.

"I have basically been in pain — chronic pain — every day," says Denise, who asked that NPR not use her full name to protect her privacy. "I live a life of going to doctors constantly."

For over half a century, student loan borrowers like Denise — with a significant, permanent disability — have been protected by federal law. If they can no longer work enough to support themselves, they can ask the U.S. Department of Education to erase their debts. But an NPR investigation has found that hundreds of thousands of potentially eligible borrowers — more than enough to fill a city the size of Pittsburgh — have yet to receive the relief they're entitled to.

Not only that, the Education Department told Congress earlier this year it had discharged the loans of 40% of eligible borrowers with significant, permanent disabilities. But new data obtained by NPR from a department official show a much lower number: Only 28% of eligible borrowers identified between March 2016 and September 2019 have either had their loans erased or are on track for that to happen.

Borrowers and advocates say the Education Department doesn't do enough to inform borrowers like Denise of their rights, and those who do apply for help have to navigate CONTINUE READING: Education Department Could Do More For Student Loan Borrowers With Disabilities : NPR

One A3 charter school defendant pleads guilty to conspiracy - The San Diego Union-Tribune

One A3 charter school defendant pleads guilty to conspiracy - The San Diego Union-Tribune

One A3 charter school defendant pleads guilty to conspiracy

Prosecutors alleged that defendant Troy Kukahiko bought names of students to falsely enroll them in an A3 charter school

By KRISTEN TAKETA

One of 11 people indicted for the alleged A3 charter school scheme has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit a crime.
The defendant, Troy Kukahiko from Hawaii, is now scheduled to be sentenced on May 4.
Prosecutors alleged that Kukahiko and his wife, Kalehua Kukahiko, arranged to pay youth organizations and sports teams for the personal information of students so the students could be signed up for A3’s Valiant charter school, thus inflating Valiant’s enrollment. Kalehua Kukahiko pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said that students were enrolled in Valiant often without their parents’ knowledge. The more students Valiant enrolled, the more state funding it received.
Troy Kukahiko’s lawyer, John Christl, declined to comment, saying his client wishes to have privacy.
The Kuhahikos and nine other defendants were indicted in May in connection with a network of 19 California charter schools run by leaders of A3 Education.
All the other A3 defendants — besides Troy Kukahiko and CEO Sean McManus, the man accused of orchestrating the alleged A3 scheme — have pleaded not guilty.
McManus has been at large since the indictment. Prosecutors said in May that he was CONTINUE READING: One A3 charter school defendant pleads guilty to conspiracy - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Yong Zhao: How PISA Created the Illusion of Education Quality and Marketed It to the World | Diane Ravitch's blog

Yong Zhao: How PISA Created the Illusion of Education Quality and Marketed It to the World | Diane Ravitch's blog

Yong Zhao: How PISA Created the Illusion of Education Quality and Marketed It to the World

Yong Zhao, the brilliant education analyst, writes here about the great PISA illusion. If you have not read any of Zhao’s books, do so now. If you have not heard him speak, google him or invite him to your next big conference. He is insightful, provocative, thoughtful, absolutely delightful! He is a master at making people think and debunking hoaxes.  Please read the entire post to learn how we and the rest of the world have been hoaxed by promoters of fake ideas.

He writes:

PISA is a masterful magician. It has successfully created an illusion of education quality and marketed it to the world. In 2018, 79 countries took part in this magic show out of the belief that this triennial test accurately measures the quality of their education systems, the effectiveness of their teachers, the ability of their students, and the future prosperity of their society.

PISA’s magical power in the education universe stems from its bold claims and successful marketing. It starts by tapping into the universal anxiety about the future. Humans are naturally concerned about the future and  CONTINUE READING: Yong Zhao: How PISA Created the Illusion of Education Quality and Marketed It to the World | Diane Ravitch's blog

PISA 2018: Slight U.S. Progress, But What Do The Results Really Tell Us? - https://wp.me/p5kbFE-cvN via @NEAToday

NYC Educator: Bloomberg Reaches Out to Educators

NYC Educator: Bloomberg Reaches Out to Educators

Bloomberg Reaches Out to Educators

Hi it's me again, your old pal Mayor Mike. I have a special message for you all. You remember all those things I did and said to you guys? Well, I'm sorry. There. I said it. Do I need to say it again? Don't you believe me?

Anyhoo, I'm a little upset that the guy in the White House, you know who, the one I won't name in my ad, has decided to boycott Bloomberg News just because it isn't delivering any news about Bloomberg. You know, me, Mike, your bestest buddy. How is that fair? I can't have people on the payroll saying bad things about me. That's unacceptable. I expect EVERYONE to pay attention to me, even if my giant news organization pretends I don't exist. AND IF ANY OF YOU LOSERS TRIES TO IMPEACH ME, I WON'T COOPERATE!!! Oh, hold on now, I didn't mean to raise my voice. That's what the other guy does. Okay, I'm sorry. There. Is it all better now?

Now let's look back at what I did for you FRIGGING LOSER TEACHERS!!! Wait a minute. I meant you respected and dignified educators, of course. Now look, I raise my voice now and then but I don't mean anything by it. This is just how very, very rich people express ourselves. Yeah, that's the ticket. Anyway, who was it who took a bold stand against white bread in school cafeterias? That was ME, BITCH! I mean, I did that. Didn't that make your lives better? Don't you enjoy your new svelte waistline, and isn't it all BECAUSE OF ME AND NO ONE EVER SAYS THANK YOU!!! NOOOOO, THAT WOULD BE TOO MUCH TROUBLE!!!

And how about all those new schools I created? Sure, I had to close a lot of old ones, and sure, the  public had no say. I know, you'll say I filled them all up with newbies so there'd be little or no union presence, and that I dumped all the difficult students in larger schools so I could close them too. Well that might be true, and sure, you'll say I built up charters to make a separate and unequal system, by giving money to people who could draw millions from private sources. Okay, I did insist we call them public schools even though the only thing public about them was that they take your money.

I SAVED THE SCHOOLS ALL BY MYSELF, AND ALL YOU FRIGGING TEACHERS COULD DO WAS BITCH AND MOAN!!! YOU'RE AS BAD AS THE NRA!!! SCREAMING ABOUT YOUR FRIGGING DUE PROCESS RIGHTS!! I HAD THAT LONG ISLAND SENATOR, THE IRISH GUY, WHAT'S HIS NAME, READY TO DESTROY SENIORITY RIGHTS, BUT NOOOO, YOU SOBS MANAGED TO WEASEL OUT!!!

Wait. What I meant to say was, we had our differences, but we worked them out. Hey, let's let bygones be bygones, okay? It's not asking too much. I'm a nice guy. Who else CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Bloomberg Reaches Out to Educators

Choosing Democracy: Teachers Union- Community Forum

Choosing Democracy: Teachers Union- Community Forum

Choosing Democracy: Teachers Union- Community Forum

Big Education Ape: Editorial: California can't track billions of education dollars - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/12/editorial-california-cant-track.html

Choosing Democracy: Teachers Union- Community Forum

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Buttigieg's white blindspot on school deseg

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Buttigieg's white blindspot on school deseg

Buttigieg's white blindspot on school deseg

“I have to confess that I was slow to realize ― I worked for years under the illusion that our schools in my city were integrated because they had to be because of a court order,” the Democratic presidential candidate said at a North Carolina talk with the Poor People’s Campaign. . -- Mayor Pete Buttigieg

There's no need for me to beat up on Pete Buttigieg any further, now that the master of the white blindspot has all but eliminated himself as a serious presidential candidate.

But I just have to say that I spent a good deal of time in South Bend high schools a decade ago and it only took me about a minute-and-a-half to notice that the schools were racially segregated. Why did it take him so long?

Of course, I wasn't the first to notice. The district has been signing onto consent decrees and deseg plans for the past 40 years, plans which were largely ignored. Last year's Focus 2018 plan, essentially did an end-run around the consent decree in favor of "school choice". It reminded me of the way Chicago failed to respond to deseg orders right up until 10 years ago when Arne Duncan got a federal judge to relieve the district of its obligations under its own consent decree.

South Bend schools are governed by the South Bend Community School Corporation, which has CONTINUE READING: Mike Klonsky's Blog: Buttigieg's white blindspot on school deseg

Ruben Alonzo — Carpetbagging Galaxy-Brained Founder Of Excelencia Charter Academy In Boyle Heights — Michael Kohlhaas dot org

Ruben Alonzo — Carpetbagging Galaxy-Brained Founder Of Excelencia Charter Academy In Boyle Heights

Ruben Alonzo — Carpetbagging Galaxy-Brained Founder Of Excelencia Charter Academy In Boyle Heights 

RUBEN ALONZO — CARPETBAGGING GALAXY-BRAINED FOUNDER OF EXCELENCIA CHARTER ACADEMY IN BOYLE HEIGHTS — CO-LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF SUNRISE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL — SURVEILLED, STALKED, AND PHOTOGRAPHED ANTI-CHARTER PROTESTER MIMI DUNCANSON — AND TRIED — UNSUCCESSFULLY — TO GET THE COPS TO TOW HER CAR — AND PRETTY LIKELY VIOLATED THE BROWN ACT TO PREVENT HER FROM LEARNING OF IMPENDING TEACHER FIRINGS AT EXCELENCIA — AND THIS IS THE KIND OF AMORAL GRIFTER THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ENTRUSTS WITH THE LIVES OF SMALL DEFENSELESS CHILDREN - Michael Kohlhaas dot org

 Excelencia Charter Academy is yet another creepy little charter school run by yet another shockingly unqualified creepy little galaxy-brained grifter, this one known as Ruben Alonzo, going about the place making creepy little announcements of delusionally impending disruptive excellence while lining his creepy little pockets with public money1 at the expense of the actual human children that the state legislature, for reasons they’re going to have to answer for eventually, has seen fit to place into his care.

In this regard Alonzo is much like Sakshi Jain, shockingly unqualified founder of the ill-fated GANAS Academy, whose plan to co-locate on the campus of Catskill Elementary School conjured up such a monumental hurricane of activist opposition and scorn that, it appears, she has had to put her school’s opening on hold while she slinks back to her lair to soothe her metaphorical wounds with a salve made of equal parts boorish self-pity and Walton family megabucks.

Unlike Jain, though, Alonzo did actually manage to open his school. In the Fall of 2018 as it happens and, like Jain’s fiasco, co-located, in CONTINUE READING: Ruben Alonzo — Carpetbagging Galaxy-Brained Founder Of Excelencia Charter Academy In Boyle Heights

Top Democratic Presidential Candidates Coming To Pittsburgh For Public Education Forum – CBS Pittsburgh

Top Democratic Presidential Candidates Coming To Pittsburgh For Public Education Forum – CBS Pittsburgh

Top Democratic Presidential Candidates Coming To Pittsburgh For Public Education Forum

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Seven of the leading Democratic candidates for President of the United States will be in Pittsburgh on December 14.

Sources tell KDKA, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer will be the candidates in attendance.

A coalition of parents, educators, school staff, and community members have invited the candidates to the city for the “Public Education Forum 2020” at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

The forum will be hosted by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Educational Association, and the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.

Sources tell KDKA’s Jon Delano each candidate will be asked four similar questions plus additional questions from a selected audience.

Local organizations of these groups will play a role in the forum.

“I’m extremely proud of our union membership, community leaders, education activists and public schools all coming together to be a part of this forum,” said Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina Esposito-Visgitis. “In Pittsburgh, we try to solve tough education challenges with innovative solutions in a pragmatic, collaborative manner. We won’t shy away from asking tough, fair, probing questions of these candidates.”

Topics will range from class sizes, increased wraparound services for students, and resource allocation for neighborhood public schools.

“Public schools are the heart of a strong democracy. When the most vulnerable children in our country are supported and elevated into opportunity and resources through education, WE ALL WIN! The question we have to ask is, which presidential candidates are ready to take a stand to defend and expand our Public Schools?” Asked Devon Taliafarro, Newly Elected Pittsburgh School Board Member and One PA member.

Several cities were in the running for the forum and ultimately it was decided that Pittsburgh would host the event.

Top Democratic Presidential Candidates Coming To Pittsburgh For Public Education Forum – CBS Pittsburgh

NANCY BAILEY: Learning Disabilities and Inclusion: Abandoned Commitment

Learning Disabilities and Inclusion: Abandoned Commitment

Learning Disabilities and Inclusion: Abandoned Commitment

Parents around the country are angry, claiming that their children who have learning disabilities, namely dyslexia, are not being served in public schools. The question here is why aren’t public schools serving students with learning disabilities? Isn’t it the law?

Many parents expect inclusion in general education classes, although some argue for vouchers. Vouchers mean a child will likely go to a private or charter school that often does not involve inclusion and could include teachers with little preparation to teach students with learning disabilities.

But inclusion in public schools has not been without problems. It has not always meant that teachers will have preparation in learning disabilities, or that they will have support to teach students with learning disabilities in large diverse classes.

How did this come about?

Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia

Reports state that 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have learning disabilities like dyslexia or ADHD. Schools do not cause learning disabilities, but schools can go a long way to improve a student’s ability to learn.

In recent years, schools have relied on Response to Intervention, assessing students CONTINUE READING: Learning Disabilities and Inclusion: Abandoned Commitment

Chris Whittle Tries a Splashy Comeback | Diane Ravitch's blog

Chris Whittle Tries a Splashy Comeback | Diane Ravitch's blog

Chris Whittle Tries a Splashy Comeback

Chris Whittle is the Uber entrepreneur of for-profit education. Back in the 1990s, he launched the Edison Project, assuming that George H.W. Bush would be re-elected and would get a voucher plan through Congress. That didn’t happen, so Edison sought contracts to run low-performing schools. Lots of push back from districts and parents. The share price plummeted. To learn th3 story of Edison, read Samuel Abrams’ excellent book, Education and the Commercial Mindset.

After the failure of the Edison Project, Whittle raised many millions to start a for-profit private school called avenues that was to have locations around the world. He hired educators with long experience in elite private schools and had splashy openings in Manhattan and in China. tuition was over $50,000 a year. In 2015, he and the board had differences, and he moved on.

Now Whittle is opening a new international for-profit chain, and openings are planned in multiple locations, including the District of Columbia, Brooklyn, and international locations. As the roll out of the new chain proceeds, with glitz and glamour, the board of Avenues is suing Whittle for $5.8 million that he allegedly owes them.

Leslie Brody of the Wall Street Journal wrote:

As he wooed hundreds of guests with cocktails, mini lobster rolls and goat cheese bonbons at a reception in Brooklyn, entrepreneur Chris Whittle made an audacious claim: There are no world-class K-12 schools, anywhere.

And he intends to change that.

“Our mission is to actually create the first modern school,” Mr. Whittle told a crowd last week at the launch of a CONTINUE READING: Chris Whittle Tries a Splashy Comeback | Diane Ravitch's blog