Briefs

Browse By

Showing 11 - 20 of 49 resources

Brief

Teacher Shortages in California: Status, Sources, and Potential Solutions

Linda Darling-Hammond

Leib Sutcher

Desiree Carver-Thomas

Oct 15 2018
|
Teacher shortages have been worsening in California since 2015. In response, the state has invested nearly $200 million in programs aimed at recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers, but those programs will take time to yield the desired results. California needs to make additional investments to rapidly build the supply of qualified teachers where they are most needed and create incentives for experienced, effective teachers to re-enter and remain in the classroom.

Topic Educator Quality: Recruitment & Retention
Brief

Reducing Student Suspension Rates

Stephen Kostyo

Jessica Cardichon

Linda Darling-Hammond

Oct 03 2018
|
Suspensions from school can disrupt student learning and inhibit students’ success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities for states to address suspension rates and other non-academic indicators that affect student success. This brief describes how states can use data on suspensions, what some states are doing, and policies to reduce suspension rates. It is part of the report Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap.

Topics Accountability and Improvement, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Equitable Resources and Access
Brief

Implementing an Extended-Year Graduation Rate

Stephen Kostyo

Jessica Cardichon

Linda Darling-Hammond

Oct 03 2018
|
Extended-year graduation rates track students that graduate high school in 5 or 6 years. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities for states to address this and other non-academic indicators that affect student success. This brief describes how states can use extended-year graduation rates to incentivize schools to continue working with struggling students to help them graduate. It is part of the report Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap.

Topics Accountability and Improvement, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Equitable Resources and Access
Brief

Expanding Access to a College- and Career-Ready Curriculum

Stephen Kostyo

Jessica Cardichon

Linda Darling-Hammond

Oct 03 2018
|
College- and career-readiness is an important factor of student success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities for states to address it and other non-academic indicators that affect student success. This brief describes how states can use data on college- and career-readiness to measure and expand access to curricula that prepare students for the modern economy. It is part of the report Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap.

Topics Accountability and Improvement, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Equitable Resources and Access
Brief

Eliminating Chronic Absenteeism

Stephen Kostyo

Jessica Cardichon

Linda Darling-Hammond

Oct 03 2018
|
Chronic absenteeism disrupts student learning and impedes students’ success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities for states to address it and other non-academic indicators that affect student success. This brief describes how states can use data on chronic absenteeism and what some states are doing, and suggests policies to reduce it. It is part of the report Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap.

Topics Accountability and Improvement, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Equitable Resources and Access
Brief

Building a Positive School Climate

Stephen Kostyo

Jessica Cardichon

Linda Darling-Hammond

Oct 03 2018
|
A positive school climate supports student learning and success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides opportunities for states to address it and other non-academic indicators that affect student success. This brief describes how states can use data on school climate and what some states are doing, and suggests policies to improve it. It is part of the report Making ESSA’s Equity Promise Real: State Strategies to Close the Opportunity Gap.

Topics Accountability and Improvement, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Equitable Resources and Access
Brief

Educating the Whole Child: Improving School Climate to Support Student Success

Linda Darling-Hammond

Channa Cook-Harvey

Sep 07 2018
|
Students living with the toxic stress and trauma of poverty and crime can struggle to learn. Research on science of learning & development shows that these struggles can be addressed through whole child and positive school climate approaches that support academic, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development — systems that put students’ healthy growth and development at the center of the classroom.

Topics Deeper Learning, Deeper Learning: School Organization & Design
Brief

How Money Matters for Schools

Bruce D. Baker

Jul 17 2018
|
This brief is based on a report reviewing research on the role of money in determining school quality. The research found that schooling resources that cost money are positively associated with student outcomes. In addition to summarizing the report, the brief offers these policy recommendations: Ensure school finance reforms are linked to thoughtful standards and supports for students and teachers, invest more in students who have greater needs, and invest in human resources.

Topic Equitable Resources and Access
Brief

Encouraging Social and Emotional Learning: Next Steps for States

Jun 15 2018
|
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides an opportunity for states to include measures of students social, emotional, and academic development when assessing outcomes. This brief offers recommendations for ways state agencies can encourage social and emotional learning in schools to support the whole child, through their systems of accountability and continuous improvement under ESSA.

Topics Accountability and Improvement, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Deeper Learning
Brief

Diversifying the Teaching Profession Through High-Retention Pathways

Desiree Carver-Thomas

Apr 19 2018
|
More and more states and districts are recognizing that recruiting and retaining teachers of color can help meet their students' needs while also helping to curb critical teacher shortages. But prospective teachers of color encounter unique barriers to entering and staying in the profession. High-retention pathways—combining high-quality clinically rich preparation with financial support—can be especially effective at reversing those trends.

Topics Educator Quality, Educator Quality: Recruitment & Retention, Equitable Resources and Access

Pages

Brief

The California Way: The Golden State’s Quest to Build an Equitable and Excellent Education System

Feb 21 2019

California students, families, educators, and policymakers are at the center of one of the most ambitious, equity-focused education reforms in the country. Changes include a bold, new approach to equitable funding, a more holistic vision of student and school success, and community engagement in decision making. This study analyzes the impact of the reforms on opportunities and outcomes, and identifies the challenges ahead for California.

Brief

The Instructional Leadership Corps: Entrusting Professional Learning in the Hands of the Profession

Feb 21 2019

Four years into a project to support teacher instruction for deeper learning, research shows that an innovative professional development program is a decided success. Based on a model of teachers teaching teachers, California's Instructional Leadership Corps prepares teacher leaders to provide sustainable professional development aligned with new state standards. Participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and demonstrates how teacher-led learning can motivate shifts in practice, enhance teachers’ efficacy, and sustain change.

Brief

Untangling the Evidence on Preschool Effectiveness: Insights for Policymakers

Jan 31 2019

Research on early learning programs in the 1960s and 1970s revealed enormous benefits for children that lasted into adulthood, sparking investment in preschool programs, but two evaluations of large preschool programs that yielded mixed results created confusion about the wisdom of such investments. A review of rigorous and more recent research into the impact of preschool clarifies that students who attend high-quality preschool programs reap benefits that can last throughout their lives.

Pages

Featured Resources