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Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states and districts now have more flexibility in measuring student outcomes. ESSA incorporates broader definitions of student success, including factors related to social and emotional learning. Our contextualized consulting, coaching, and support can help you align your improvement efforts with ESSA and build your school or district's capacity as a high reliability and high performance system.
Just let us know how we can help!
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U.S. high school graduation rate reaches record high
The White House
U.S. high school graduation rates reached an all-time high of 83.2 percent in the 2014-15 school year, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics recently highlighted by President Obama. Increases in graduation rates were seen across demographic subgroups of learners, but English learners showed the largest increase, a 6.1 percent gain from 2010-11 to 2014-15. Read the White House Fact Sheet.
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Digital Education Survey: Explore emerging trends in digital education technology
Deloitte
Deloitte surveyed more than 2,800 teachers, students, and parents to find out what types of technology are being used in and out of the classroom for learning, and how often. Among the findings, 42 percent of teachers said they use digital technology in the classroom every day; top uses were online educational videos, educational apps or software, websites for research, and content- or skill-specific games. Interestingly, a strong majority of students (75 percent)
said they wanted to spend more time using digital content at home to learn more about what they study in school
----an idea that most teachers (84 percent) and parents (88 percent) also supported. Read the 2016 Digital Education Survey
.
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Five reasons teacher residencies often outperform traditional training
The Hechinger Report
In response to the new teacher preparation program regulations recently set by the U.S. Department of Education, this article outlines five benefits for teachers who completed a high-quality residency under the guidance of mentor teachers: effective classroom management skills, high-quality lesson planning, improved quality of teaching, better professionalism, and employability and retention.
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Changing Schools, Fall 2016 | Spotlight on social and emotional learning
Social and emotional learning (SEL) practices can help students succeed in academics and in life----but how can schools approach it systemically? This issue of McREL's Changing Schools looks at the research behind SEL, how to select and implement the right program and create the culture and conditions to support it, ESSA's impact on SEL and measuring nonacademic factors of student success, and how SEL connects with student motivation and curiosity. Read the new issue online.
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NASA honors 2016 Dawn Mission communications and outreach team from McREL
NASA recently honored several McREL staff members for their "outstanding execution" as part of the agency's public communications campaign for the Dawn mission. The Dawn spacecraft traveled to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to explore the protoplanet Vesta in 2011-2012 and is now exploring dwarf planet Ceres. Learn more about the Dawn Mission.
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Video | NASA Impact of Discovery/Mission Makers Workshop
In April 2016, 230 participants at four sites across the U.S. joined mission scientists from NASA Discovery and New Frontiers and teams from Eurekus and McREL for a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) experience to gain engineering literacy and classroom "maker project" ideas by constructing simple machine instruments for a shoe-box model rover. Watch a short video documentary of this experience and learn more about McREL's STEM and STEAM consulting services.
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REL Pacific Toolkit | Resources for Engaging Families and the Community as Partners in Education
A toolkit from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Pacific at McREL helps schools and districts improve their outreach to families and community members. The toolkit is divided into four parts, each including a series of activities that can be used with family and community members as well as other diverse cross-stakeholder groups. The activities involve reading, writing, discussions, and creative exercises using graphics, scenarios, worksheets, and planning templates. Find the guides at the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences website.
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Free Resource | How to select school interventions
Selecting and implementing the right intervention for your students' needs can be a daunting task. Our Recommended Protocol for Selecting School Interventions document outlines key action steps and questions to consider that will help you make better intervention decisions. Download this free resource.
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McREL consultants will be at the following conferences to present sessions and/or to share information in exhibit areas. If you or your colleagues will attend, please be sure to introduce yourself to our staff.
Visit
our events page or
contact McREL to learn more about each event.
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Colorado Department of Education Equity and Excellence Conference
Denver, Colo., Nov. 3-4
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League for Innovation in the Community College's STEMtech Conference
Chattanooga, Tenn., Nov. 7
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Association of Educational Service Agencies Annual Conference
Savannah, Georgia, Nov. 30-Dec. 3
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Research Matters | Model lesson plans offer a lifeline to new teachers
In the October issue of ASCD's Educational Leadership, McREL CEO Bryan Goodwin offers research-based evidence that providing first-year and struggling teachers high-quality lesson plans helps improve teacher performance and might aid in teacher retention. Read his column.
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Blog Post | Career Readiness: What does it really mean and how do we get there?
McREL consultant Susan Ryan looks at the changing landscape of career and technical education, and what it means to be career-ready. "Ultimately," she writes, "as career training programs and academic education systems work together to prepare students for their future careers, it's important that we acknowledge the differences among learning benchmarks that mark a variety of career pathways." Read her blog post.
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McREL training in Guam helps teachers and students "reach for the stars"
To spark student interest in STEM, the Guam Department of Education and McREL are working together to train teachers on astronomy and planetary science, including how to build rovers that can travel to different worlds throughout the universe. The CosmoQuest Project, which is supported by NASA, offers teachers first-hand experiences in order to get them engaged in STEM and "take that energy and excitement back into the classroom and be truly inspiring to their students," said McREL consultant Whitney Cobb. Read the story.
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Bahamian educators implement McREL's Balanced Leadership
An article in the Abaconian highlighted McREL's Balanced Leadership work with school leaders throughout the Bahamas, including the Abaco Islands. The article focuses on how McREL's Balanced Leadership framework supports the Abaco district's theme for the current school year, "Educate Students to Create Long Time Learners," by helping school leaders adjust to the shifting, more demanding expectations placed on them. According to Superintendent Dr. Lenora Black, the district's goal is effective leadership at all levels, from teachers and teacher leaders to district administrators and national education leaders. Read the story.
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"We began our partnership with McREL in 2008. The ultimate beneficiaries are our staff and students, as our district is more thoughtful and strategic in how we
implement change and determine focus.
"
Dr. B.J. Worthington, Superintendent, Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools, Tennessee
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