Greg Anrig, vice president of policy at TCF, is well-versed in the “recipe for effective schools,” as detailed in The Washington Post‘s “The Answer Sheet.” Anrig reviews a book by David Kirp, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, titled Uncommon Scholars, as critiqued by Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst of the Brookings Institution. Scholars focuses on school districts in Union City, New Jersey and was criticized by Whitehurst for lacking effective research. Anrig points at new research on student achievement and teacher committment.
Excerpt:
There are “five key organizational features to advancing student achievement:
• A coherent instructional guidance system, in which the curriculum, study materials, and assessments are coordinated within and across grades with meaningful teacher involvement;
• An effective system to improve professional capacity, including making teachers’ classroom work public for examination by colleagues and external consultants, and to enable ongoing support and guidance for teachers;
• Strong parent-community-school ties, with an integrated support network for students;
• A student-centered learning climate that identifies and responds to difficulties any child may be experiencing;
• Leadership focused on cultivating teachers, parents, and community members so that they become invested in sharing overall responsibility for the school’s improvement.”
Read the full article at The Washington Post.
Tags: the century foundation, greg anrig, education equality, effective schools, school improvement, the answer sheet, valerie strauss, education policy, washington post, education reform
Five Key Features of Effective Schools
Greg Anrig, vice president of policy at TCF, is well-versed in the “recipe for effective schools,” as detailed in The Washington Post‘s “The Answer Sheet.” Anrig reviews a book by David Kirp, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, titled Uncommon Scholars, as critiqued by Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst of the Brookings Institution. Scholars focuses on school districts in Union City, New Jersey and was criticized by Whitehurst for lacking effective research. Anrig points at new research on student achievement and teacher committment.
Excerpt:
There are “five key organizational features to advancing student achievement:
• A coherent instructional guidance system, in which the curriculum, study materials, and assessments are coordinated within and across grades with meaningful teacher involvement;
• An effective system to improve professional capacity, including making teachers’ classroom work public for examination by colleagues and external consultants, and to enable ongoing support and guidance for teachers;
• Strong parent-community-school ties, with an integrated support network for students;
• A student-centered learning climate that identifies and responds to difficulties any child may be experiencing;
• Leadership focused on cultivating teachers, parents, and community members so that they become invested in sharing overall responsibility for the school’s improvement.”
Read the full article at The Washington Post.
Tags: the century foundation, greg anrig, education equality, effective schools, school improvement, the answer sheet, valerie strauss, education policy, washington post, education reform