News, data, and conversation about schools in New York City, including teacher ratings.

What is being measured in teacher ratings?

The ratings on this page reflect the city’s effort to isolate the effect of individual teachers on student performance. In this case, the measurement is based on math and English scores on New York State standardized tests. Each teacher was assigned an “expected” score based on the past performance and demographics of his or her students. This expected score is then compared to the students’ actual test results. The difference is considered the “value added” by the teacher.

Reblogged from sbslibrary

An inforgraphic about how educators can use Pinterest. 

(Source: sbslibrary)

Reblogged from willrichardson

Charles Blow in the NY Times today:

“A big part of the problem is that teachers have been so maligned in the national debate that it’s hard to attract our best and brightest to see it as a viable and rewarding career choice, even if they have a high aptitude and natural gift for it.  A 2010 McKinsey & Company report entitled “Closing the Talent Gap: Attracting and Retaining Top-Third Graduates to Careers in Teaching” found that top-performing nations like Singapore, Finland and South Korea recruit all of their teachers from the top third of graduates and then even screen from that group for “other important qualities.” By contrast, in the United States, ‘23 percent of new teachers come from the top third, and just 14 percent in high poverty schools, which find it especially difficult to attract and retain talented teachers. It is a remarkably large difference in approach, and in results.’”

Link to Graphic

(Source: willrichardson)

Reblogged from gjmueller

Why Floundering Is Good

Call it the “learning paradox”: the more you struggle and even fail while you’re trying to master new information, the better you’re likely to recall and apply that information later.

Reblogged from theatlantic

The Paradox of College: The Rising Cost of Going (and Not Going!) to School

Have you heard about the dangerous, rising cost of not going to college? In the last 30 years, the typical college tuition has tripled. But over the exact same period, the earnings gap between college-educated adults and high school graduates has also tripled. In 1979, the wage difference was 75%. In 2003, it was 230%. 

Over the last three decades, the cost of going to college has increased at nearly the exact same rate as the cost not going to college. How can the price of getting something and not getting something both rise at the same time? 

That is the paradox of college costs.

Read more. [Image: Reuters]

Reblogged from mathalive

Infographic: Math Relevance to U.S. Middle School Students

The survey was conducted in February 2012 by Research Now on behalf of Raytheon Company. 1000 respondents aged 10-14 completed survey questionnaires. The survey carries a margin of error of +/- 3 percent for the total sample.

(Source: mathalive)