A recent independent evaluation by WestEd of Learning Forward's What Matters Now Network looked at the ways in which a structured, facilitated network provided support for state-level coalitions working with districts, schools, and educators to improve instruction and make progress toward achieving content standards. The network was facilitated by…

Student success measurements for 4-year institutions of higher education are a topic of importance for numerous stakeholders including prospective and current students, parents, staff, faculty, administrators, governing boards, policymakers, and citizens. Common measures of student success are retention rates and 4- and 6-year graduation rates.…

When students first enroll in college, they are required to demonstrate readiness for college-level work. Course placement depends on standardized assessments, and students who do not attain a satisfactory score are typically assigned to developmental (e.g. remedial) education courses. The theory behind this approach has been that remedial…

In this article, the author shares how he was inspired to advance the cause of college completion in Maryland as he recently received the Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award with $500,000 as award money. He shares how he intended to make use of the award money and mentions that it is in the spirit of making a positive difference that he…

This study aims to help address a need for information about efficacious mathematics curriculum and instruction at the high school level. Data from national and international studies, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), show very low mathematics proficiency rates for high school students. Many educators recognize a…

Superintendent Andres A. Alonso arrived in Baltimore in 2007 with a vision for improving the city's struggling schools. His vision included empowering school leaders and creating accountability for student learning through a series of reforms that center around a new system for giving resources to schools, called Fair Student Funding (FSF). FSF…

"Time to Act," a 2009 report of the Carnegie Corporation's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy, concludes that U.S. students are ill-prepared for the literacy challenges of 21st century higher education, employment, and citizenship. Word Generation (WG) is a research-based vocabulary program for middle school students designed to…

A recent employer survey sponsored by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills found that the skills new job entrants most need for success in the workplace--oral and written communication, time management, critical thinking, problem solving, personal accountability, and the ability to work effectively with others--are the areas in which recent…

The authors prepared this report after exploring programs using a 90-day cycle process borrowed from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The IHI 90-day cycle scans activity in the field as a "quick way to research innovative ideas and assess their potential for advancing quality improvement". The goal was to "get under…

Traces the national reform movement in teacher education. making connections between elements of that reform and statewide reform in Maryland. Components in the Holmes Group, Carnegie Commission, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards are compared and contrasted to…

This report presents the eight papers and abstracted proceedings of a conference of 30 educators who met to explore the nature, role, and implications of the clinical professorship in innovative programs of undergraduate teacher education. The first three papers, by Lindley J. Stiles, Robert Maidment, and Lloyd S. Michael, deal with the functions…

Four Maryland middle schools, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), and the Carnegie Corporation are collaborating to develop models of early adolescent education that: (1) improve overall student and school performance; (2) coordinate comprehensive service delivery to students requiring such care; (3) stimulate collaborative…

A Carnegie Foundation survey, conducted in 1988, found that teachers were critical of the education reform movement in general and standardized statewide testing in particular. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the impact of state-mandated testing programs on the work lives of teachers and students. It compares two states'…

New teacher evaluation systems have emerged as the cornerstone of the recent movement to improve public school teaching. Fueled by incentives from the federal government, state and local policymakers have sought to replace the often-cursory evaluation models of the past with more comprehensive ones. In contrast to past evaluations, which often…

Building a stronger teacher workforce requires the thoughtful orchestration of multiple processes working together in a human capital system. This white paper presents a framework that can be used to take stock of current efforts to enhance the teacher workforce in school districts or educational organizations, as well as their underlying theories…