Special K-12 Edition
Fall, 2005
Studying the Effects of Online Teacher Professional Development on Student Achievement— Teacher professional development represents a strategic tool in schools’ efforts to increase their capacities and improve student achievement. “Education leaders understand that improving teachers’ instruction is the most direct way to support student learning,” said Dr. Richard Hezel, president of Hezel Associates. See complete story.
Understanding What Does - and Does Not - Contribute to School-level Improvement — Like many other states, South Carolina has invested money, time, and resources to improve its most academically vulnerable schools. The Education Accountability Act of 1998 required that South Carolina develop and implement a series of strategies to support school improvement. Over the past four years, the External Review Team (ERT) Program has served as one of South Carolina’s key activities for lifting school performance. See complete story.
What Does it Take to Change Instruction? — According to teachers, the answer is "more than 8 hours a year." The research agrees. A recent report released by the National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of Education 2005, found that teachers who invest more than 8 hours each year in professional development activities benefit the most. See complete story.
Teach Your Children Well...with Technology — Each year, more school districts embrace the practice of using computer based end-of-course or end-of year assessments to document student learning. Very real cost efficiencies lie at the heart of districts’ decisions to employ computer based testing. Test administration takes place readily when enough computers are available, test items can be generated automatically, and scoring can take place more quickly. See complete story.