About the EP Blog

Education Pioneers shares stories of impact, insights, ideas, and opinions to advance the conversation about what great leadership in education looks like.

Category 
Partner Impact

Leadership and Models of Success Drive Education Reform in Newark

June 7, 2010

In Newark Public Schools, New Jersey’s largest school district, less than 54 percent of students graduate from high school. According to reports from Essex County College, a community college based in Newark, 98 percent of the Newark Public School students who graduate high school and enroll at Essex required remediation in math. The education system in Newark is clearly struggling. Despite these grim statistics, however, there is a renewed sense of hope and optimism for education bubbling in Newark. Education reform-minded leadership at every political level, in addition to promising...
Category 
Talent in Action

The Impact of IMPACT: Defining, Evaluating, and Supporting Effective Teachers in DC

May 19, 2010

Teacher evaluation is nothing new or radical. In fact, schools and districts have a long history of evaluating teachers. However, in practice teacher evaluation plays out as one big irony. While the majority of teachers receive “satisfactory” evaluation ratings, an increasing number of schools are labeled “failures.” There is something wrong with this reality. Education Pioneers Alumni Brian Pick (’07 DC Metro Area), Tim O’Brien (’08 DC Metro Area), and others at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) are addressing this incongruity and working to improve teacher effectiveness through...
Category 
Partner Impact

FROM DATA TO ACTION:Supporting Schools to Use Data to Improve Student Outcomes

By Emily Msall, May 19, 2010

For the third year in a row, Massachusetts’ fourth and eighth graders have outperformed students from all other states, according to scores on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam. While these results highlight success, a growing number of education leaders recognize that Massachusetts’ strong performance must be viewed as a starting point rather than as an end. "I am pleased that Massachusetts students are once again at the head of the class," said Representative Martha M. Walz (D-Boston), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. "Our challenge now is to...
Category 
Talent in Action

Evaluating Innovation: Testing the Effectiveness of Chicago’s New Teacher Evaluation Tool

May 19, 2010

Evaluation
Federal and state policies such as the US Department of Education’s Race to the Top state grant competition and Illinois’ Performance Evaluation Act of 2010, which prioritize building effective principal and teacher evaluations systems to improve student achievement outcomes, have ratcheted up the need for data-driven teacher evaluation in Illinois. This renewed attention on improving student achievement outcomes has the education sector exploring innovative tools to use for evaluation. Chicago Public Schools’ Excellence in Teaching program, led by Education Pioneers Alumna Sheri Frost Leo (’...
Category 
Talent in Action

PACE Report Offers Recession-Proof Policy Recommendations

May 19, 2010

“Changing California’s education system will require more money, but the absence of resources does not preclude policy changes that can make a difference for kids. This is the way forward.” So begins David Plank, Executive Director of Policy Analysis for California Education ( PACE ), when asked to explain the impetus behind PACE’s most recent report. The report, released in April and titled “Reforming Education in California: A Guide for Candidates and Citizens,” makes clear policy recommendations in anticipation of California’s state-wide political races. “This report points the way for...

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