Sputnik
Robert Slavin is the director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University and co-founder and chairman of the Success for All Foundation. Along with guest bloggers, he wrote about how educational policy can be informed by research and innovation and, in turn, promote development and evaluation of promising practices to improve outcomes for all children. This blog is no longer being updated.
Education
Opinion
What the Presidential Election Might Mean for Evidence-Based Reform
Watching the presidential debates, I wasn't terribly surprised to see that evidence-based reform in education was not mentioned. In a rational world it would have been, but maybe that is just my own irrational world view.
Education
Opinion
More OMG From OMB
Imagine that education leaders began to encourage or provide incentives for schools to use proven programs and practices. Imagine that instead of a confused patchwork of policies and grants, government had a simple rule: if it works, we'll help you adopt it. If it hasn't yet been proven to work, we'll help you evaluate it. If it's just a good idea, we'll help you move it forward. But the purpose of education policy is to find out what works and then help scale it up.
Education
Opinion
Won't Back Down: Union-Bashing Goes Hollywood
At the recent Education Nation meetings, I saw the opening of "Won't Back Down." If you've seen the movie or the reviews, you'll know that it's about a plucky parent, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who organizes parents and teachers in a terrible school to invoke a "parent trigger" law to take over the school. The movie is controversial in large part because it presents the teachers' union, which tries to prevent the takeover, as 100 percent evil, in a time when teachers and their unions are very much under assault.
Education
Opinion
What Constitutes Strong Evidence of Program Effectiveness?
Note: This is a guest post by Jon Baron, President of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, and former Chairman of the National Board for Education Sciences
Education
Opinion
Yikes and 'Aww' at Education Nation
I just returned from an exciting couple of days at Education Nation, a "summit" put on by NBC News in New York. All the great and good were there: President Obama (by tape), Mitt Romney (in person), Colin Powell, Arne Duncan, Margaret Spellings, Jeb Bush, Chelsea Clinton, Randi Weingarten, Michelle Rhee, and many more.
Education
Opinion
Broader Evidence for Bigger Impact?
Harvard's Lisbeth Schorr is one of America's most thoughtful observers of social innovations. In a recent article she discusses her concerns about the growing focus in government on programs with evidence from randomized experiments. She's glad to see the rise of experimentation to evaluate well-defined interventions with clear theories of action, but worries that a focus on experimentally proven programs will overly limit reformers to approaches that lend themselves to experiments.
Education
Opinion
The Future of Instruction II: Technology and the Engaged Classroom
Last week, I wrote about how the future of instruction needs to rely on both non-technology and technology-based innovations. It may sound like a hedge, but trust me that I am excited about the promise technology has to offer! In work we're doing in England and the U.S., we're using interactive whiteboards to help teachers manage complex instruction using many teaching resources. Whiteboards are not particularly interesting technology in themselves; they merely make it possible for all students in a class to see anything that can be put on a computer screen.
Education
Opinion
The Future of Instruction I: Teachers and Technology
Think about the best teacher, the best class, the best learning experience you ever had. In that class, you were engaged. You were challenged. You were excited. You had new insights, and left the class a different person, confident in your new knowledge and skill, but even more, confident in yourself as a learner.
Education
Opinion
See You in September!
Sputnik will not publish during the month of August. I hope my loyal readers enjoy the last weeks of summer. If you are seeking your "fix" of evidence-based education commentary, I have collected a few of the top stories from the year:
Education
Opinion
Bad Science II: Brief, Small, and Artificial Studies
"We learned from correlational research that students who speak Latin do better in school. So this year we're teaching everything in Latin."
Education
Opinion
Bad Science I: Bad Measures
"My multiple choice test on bike riding was very reliable.
Education
Opinion
Seeds, Bricks, and Sand: Stages of School-Reform Readiness
Every school, no matter how effective at improving student outcomes, could probably be even more effective, and some schools have a particularly long way to go. Various proven reform models for whole schools, particular subjects, or specific purposes stand ready to help all of these schools improve. Yet schools vary a great deal in terms of readiness for particular approaches to reform.
Education
Opinion
What Would the Founding Fathers Say About Evidence-Based Reform?
In honor of Independence Day, I was thinking about how America's founders would think about evidence-based education reform if they were around today. George Washington would certainly be a big fan. He was always interested in disseminating the latest technology, agricultural techniques, and other innovations. If he'd been around today, he'd surely want education to use proven programs and practices and for government to invest in creating better methods. Though never realized, his greatest desire at the end of his life was to found a university in the nations' capital to add to knowledge and disseminate it among future leaders.
Education
Opinion
Summer: The Missing Link in Education Reform
By Gary Huggins, Chief Executive Officer, National Summer Learning Association