Contact us: www.mcrel.org | info@mcrel.org
November 2015
A new look for McREL.org and eNews

This month, McREL unveiled a major refresh of our website,  www.mcrel.org , to help serve you better. The new site features a cleaner, simpler, mobile-friendly design that should make it easier to find information on the services we provide to schools, districts, states, and education systems across the U.S. and around the world. Aligning to that same goal, we've also updated the layout of this newsletter. We hope you like the new look!

"As we have refined McREL's areas of expertise and service over the past few years, we are excited to have a website that reflects how we help teachers and leaders move the needle on their challenges----regardless of what they are----so that all students can flourish." 
Bryan Goodwin, President and CEO, McREL International

Research Roundup
Mining online data on struggling readers who catch up
The Hechinger Report

A recent report on the reading habits of 1.4 million 5th-grade students using an online software reading program showed that increasing reading time by as little as 4.7 minutes in the second half of the school year (to an average of 19 minutes per day) helped struggling readers reach the top 50% of readers in their grade by the end of the school year.
Learning English: Accountability, Common Core, and the college-for-all movement are transforming instruction
EducationNext

According to a Migration Policy Institute analysis of 2013 U.S. Census data, 9% of public school students are English-language learners (ELL), equivalent to nearly 5 million students. This article looks at the challenges, requirements, and outcomes of several ELL-focused programs and legislative acts at the federal and state levels, many of which have struggled to meet the learning needs of ELL students.
Is math anxiety always bad for math learning? The role of math motivation
Psychological Science

A new study by researchers from The Ohio State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and their colleagues found that motivated students who experienced a moderate amount of math anxiety performed better on math tests than those who were not motivated, revealing a correlation between motivation, moderate math anxiety, and achievement. 
Events & Opportunities

Date/Time
Monday, Nov. 30, 12:00-1:00 p.m. MST

In fields outside of education, a resolute focus on strengthening leadership talent contributes to a company's bottom line and is worth the return on investment. In education, the returns of strong leadership can be found in improvements in instructional quality, higher levels of school and district productivity, and increases in student achievement.

In this American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) webinar featuring McREL consultants Tony Davis and Bess Scott, you'll learn how to foster a clear talent development model in your school district that empowers leaders to take responsibility for their professional growth, performance, and accountability----creating a workforce that is self-driven to achieve positive outcomes for all students.

Note: This webinar is provided free for AASPA members. Non-AASPA members who register and attend this webinar will be invoiced $25 following the event.
For more information and to register, please visit the AASPA's webinar page.

Date/Time
Thursday, Dec. 3, 1:00-2:00 p.m. MST 

What is it that makes some school leaders great? Why are some principals able to turn around their schools while others turn themselves around and walk away from their schools? Based on our analysis of decades of research and years of experience working with principals solving real problems, we've arrived at a simple answer: Balance.

In this ASCD webinar featuring McREL's Bryan Goodwin, co-author of Balanced Leadership for Powerful Learning: Tools for Achieving Success in Your School, you'll learn about the three key roles a school leader must balance to be effective:
  • Visionary strategist----providing a clear focus for improvement efforts
  • Optimistic change agent----overcoming resistance to change by inspiring others to believe better outcomes are possible
  • Purpose-driven team builder----developing strong communities where people share goals and an abiding sense of purpose
Goodwin will share practical strategies that self-professed "ordinary people" have used to become extraordinary leaders, turning what can be a nightmare job for some into their dream profession.
For more information and to register, please visit 
ASCD's webinar registration page .
New Orleans, Louisiana, Dec. 2-5

Session
Transforming Your Organization: Best Practice Meets Technology
Date/Time
Friday, Dec. 4, 10:45 a.m.
Exhibit
Visit us in Booth #406, and enter to win a 1-year subscription to our Solutions Portal (a $1,500 value) or a set of McREL books.

Join McREL consultant Lisa Maxfield and representatives from Macomb Intermediate School District in Michigan to learn how they transformed education for 150,000 students and 10,000 teachers by creating a common language about best-practice instruction and technology integration. They will also share a coaching model that improved teaching through collaborative walkthroughs and collegial conversations----and was so successful, it is now being used statewide to improve tech readiness.
For more information, visit the  AESA conference website.
Perspectives
Changing Schools | Technology with intention
Vol. 74, Fall 2015

While the use of some sort of technology is practically a given at most schools, many teachers and leaders still have questions about the best tools to use, the best way to use them, and whether or not they are serving the larger purpose of improved student performance. This issue of Changing Schools looks at these issues and how using technology, as with any tool, can enhance instruction, engage students, and teach important 21st century skills----if used with intention.
  Read Changing Schools.
Blog Post | The 2015 homestretch!

On BOOST Collaborative's "Breakfast Club" blog, Tara Donahue,  managing researcher and evaluator at McREL, offers a year-end to-do list for educators, which focuses on activities that reduce stress around the holiday season and prepare you for a fresh start in 2016. Read her blog post.
Research Says | Mindsets are key to effective data use

In the November issue of ASCD's  Educational Leadership , McREL's president and CEO, Bryan Goodwin, dives into the power of mindsets and school culture in using data to guide improvements. He cites examples of both effective and ineffective data use among teachers and leadership teams, noting that "what teams see in data says a lot about their mindsets about students and schooling." Read Bryan's column.
Headlines
What does computer programming have in common with school district planning?

In this guest post for Education Week's "Leadership 360" blog, Superintendent Jay Harnack from Sublette County School District #1 in Pinedale, Wyoming, shares how he, his board of education, and his principals and teachers improved student achievement through an integrated district improvement approach that included McREL's Balanced Leadership research-based leadership framework. "All of our administrators were trained in the leadership framework, and this created a common language and understanding of leadership practices, which we could then align to any given improvement initiative," he writes. Read his blog post.
Client Testimonial
"We are grateful for McREL's experience and knowledge... They made our processes organized and efficient, with great data analysis and assistance to our stakeholders."
Dr. Brent Bacon, Chief Academic Officer, Wyoming Department of Education
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