Human Capital Management

5 Questions to Ask for Effective Professional Development

Ineffective vs Effective Professional Development With ESSA Historically, professional learning has tended toward the ineffective end of the PD continuum: teachers attend a workshop, lecture or meeting, passively listen and check it off the list of things that must be done. Once it’s over, they may never think about it again. On the other end […]

Professional Growth

7 Things You Should Know About Micro-credentials

  Micro-credentials are picking up steam in the professional learning world. From what you’ve heard, you might think of them as merely a series of badges learners can earn (more on that later). But there is far more to micro-credentials than that. Micro-credentials are in fact an incredibly effective way to implement a competency-based learning […]

RTI/MTSS

Do Approved ESSA Plans Meet the Multi-tiered Systems of Support Requirement?

Now that all 50 ESSA plans have been approved by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, we have a clearer window into each state’s accountability roadmap and goals, including strategies to meet the requirement of providing struggling learners with evidence-based interventions. So, what does this new window show us exactly? A recent post on the […]

Professional Growth

Evaluating Professional Development for Teachers? Evaluation Questions Are the Linchpin.

Edwards Deming, famous American management consultant, once quipped, “If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing.” Evaluation questions form the cornerstone of professional development program evaluation. They both frame and focus the work, pointing us in the right direction for data collection. After all, how would we know what […]

Professional Growth

Report: Data-Driven and Classroom-Focused Professional Development

A look at the data with Elizabeth Combs of the Frontline Research & Learning Institute When the Every Student Succeeds Act was signed in December 2015, educators working in professional learning (as well as in every other area of education) took note. In particular, the criteria defining effective professional development grabbed K-12 administrators’ attention. The […]

Professional Growth

The Case Against Cutting Off Our Teacher Talent Pipeline

This article was originally posted on Real Clear Education and is republished here with permission. President Trump’s budget proposes massive spending cuts to critical—but often overlooked—funding for the preparation, training and recruitment of high-quality teachers. Title IIa of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, funded at over $2 billion for the last 15 years, including upwards of […]

Professional Growth

Why Is Effective Professional Learning so Elusive?

It happens to all of us, every day. Even though we know the “correct” course of action, we take the path of least resistance. We may even have a reasonable excuse. You know the drill: I know I should get up early to go to the gym. But it’s been a tough week at work […]

Talk Data to Me

A data-centric view on the challenges facing school districts

Recruiting & Hiring

Talk Data to Me: Hire Rates

According to a 2021 Frontline survey, about two-thirds of over 1,200 school and district administrators reported having a teacher shortage. Some districts experienced the teacher shortage worse than others. About half of the respondents reported difficulty filling jobs across all grade levels and subjects while the other half felt the effects of the shortage in […]

Teacher Absences & Subs

Talk Data to Me: Trends in Absence Management and Substitute Pools

Troubled by substitute shortages and low fill rates? You’re not alone. These are challenges faced by many districts, and for good reason. Substitute management is no walk in the park: a lot of different elements go into maintaining and managing a healthy substitute pool.   To overcome the challenges associated with the substitute shortage, districts […]

Recruiting & Hiring

Talk Data to Me: The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage

The Frontline Research and Learning Institute recently published a research brief called “The State of the Instructional Teacher Shortage”. Following a basic supply and demand economic model, the analysis investigates the quantity of candidates applying for jobs (supply) as well as the availability of open positions (demand). Trends show changes to both sides of the […]

Student Data

Talk Data to Me: Supporting the Health Needs of Students and Staff

In early April, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that schools should be reopened and “full-fledged in person” come fall 2021, regardless of vaccination status. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona echoed this in early May, saying that he expects a full return for all students in the fall. With most states no longer placing restrictions on school […]

Front & Center

A series showcasing various leaders in the K-12 space