Teaching Quality Supports
Advice for Boston's New Mayor on Education

Warren Simmons, Executive Director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, has some advice for Boston's Mayor-Elect Marty Walsh: to improve the city's schools and ensure every student has a great education, he should focus on equity and providing access to a robust web of wraparound student supports.
US DOE Should Collect Information About Distribution of Teachers Still in Training
The following is a letter to U.S. Department of Education officials from the the Coalition for Teaching Quality, a broad-based coalition of over 90 local, state and national organizations, including the OTL Campaign, requesting the DOE collect data on the distribution of highly qualified teachers and those still in training.
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August 20, 2013
Catherine Lhamon
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave SW. Washington, D.C. 20202
Will You Join the Supports-Based Education Movement?

Last week, New York education officials released scores from the first Common Core-aligned standardized state tests. Student scores showed a dramatic drop in performance from previous years. Statewide, just 31.1 percent of students tested proficient in English Language Arts, and 31 percent tested proficient in math.
Every Student Has a Right to a Well-Prepared Teacher
The following is a letter to U.S. Department of Education officials from the the Coalition for Teaching Quality, a broad-based coalition of over 90 local, state and national organizations, including the OTL Campaign, requesting the DOE collect data on the distribution of highly qualified teachers and those still in training.
August 13, 2013
Catherine Lhamon
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave SW. Washington, D.C. 20202
Ed "Reform" Strategies Didn't Work in Private Sector, Why Should They Work in Schools?

If today's dominant education reform agenda is to be believed, the best way to reform our schools is to take a lesson from businesses and the private sector. We should pit schools and teachers against each other in a vicious competition for limited resources, and hold teachers accountable for larger societal ills like poverty and inequality by tying their livelihoods to high-stakes tests and firing those who fail to perform.
Ed Reform Should Focus on "Whole Child, Whole School, Whole City"

Remember that awesome bus tour we told you about last March – the one where A+ NYC painted an old school bus blue and went around to each New York City borough to get input from community members about what would make their schools great? Yep, that one.
Class Size Matters. LAUSD Board Member Steve Zimmer Explains Why

Small class size isn't about protecting teachers' jobs or making their work easier -- it's about providing every student with quality attention in the classroom. Steve Zimmer, Board Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District and a former teacher, asks why we tolerate or dismiss crowded public school classrooms when charters and private schools use small class sizes as a selling point? Warning: Passionate paper throwing ahead.
NY State's Not-So-Stellar Education Policy Report Card

A new report card on New York State's progress in improving public education is far from stellar.
Are We There Yet? College and Career Readiness Report Card

This report card on New York State's progress in improving public education is far from stellar. The report card finds that the state is moving in the right direction only in expanding access to pre-K and creating community schools. Otherwise, New York's policymakers are failing to ensure equity for all students in areas like expanded learning time, providing challenging and engaging curriculum, school climate, and school funding. Providing these resources and opportunities are the standards by which every state and and policymaker should be held accountable.
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