Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Graduation rate report

This report describes federal policy on high school graduation rates and October 2008 regulations to improve data collection, calculation of graduation rates, and accountability, to support interventions in low-performing schools. Makes state policy recommendations.
Richmond, Eric. (2009). Every Student Counts: The Role of Federal Policy in Improving Graduation Rate Accountability. Alliance for Excellent Education.
http://www.all4ed.org/files/ESC_FedPolicyGRA.pdf

Monday, April 20, 2009

Web 2.0 in school study

Survey shows barriers to Web 2.0 in schools
Teachers and students are largely driving the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in schools, but human and technological barriers are holding back the use of these as learning tools in many classrooms, according to a new study underwritten by Lightspeed and NetTrekker. The Web 2.0 technologies that are most widely used in schools today are online communication tools for parents and students. Sixty-five percent of those polled said at least 75 percent of their teachers use online communications tools, and three-fourths of those polled said their district has a plan for adopting or promoting the use of these technologies.

Interactive Educational Systems Design. (2009). National Online Survey of District Technology Directors Exploring District Use of Web 2.0 Technologies.
http://new.nettrekker.com/surveyreport

Education technology report

This year’s Technology Counts report, titled , examines why e-learning is critical to reshaping the way K-12 education is delivered. Feature stories and analyses in this issue include:
Research Shows Evolving Picture of E-Education
Advanced Placement Secures Online Niche
Hunting the Internet for Quality Content
Teacher Training Goes in Virtual Directions
Lessons from the Ivory Tower
EdWeek. (2009). Breaking Away From Tradition: E-Education Expands Opportunities for Raising Achievement.
http://www.edweek.org/go/tc09

Public library technology report

New issues brief on public library technology
The vast majority of public libraries report that providing education resources and databases for K–12 students is the Internet-based service most critical to the role of the library. In the third of a series of reports related to technology access in U.S. public libraries, the ALA Office for Research and Statistics is highlighting how public library technology supports the educational and learning needs of every person in the community.
ALA. (2009). Supporting Learners in U.S. Public Libraries. Chicago: ALA.
www.ala.org/plinternetfunding

Student writing report

NCTE Report Shows the Need for Schools to Move Away from Scripted Education
According to a new report from NCTE, many students receive an education of drill and memorization but are deprived of high-level thinking activities, intellectual discussions, and opportunities to synthesize information and respond creatively. Unlike many of their counterparts, these schools are focusing more on discipline, instead of encouraging intellectual thinking. According to Kylene Beers, president of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), it is critically important that all students experience a rich, intellectually rigorous curriculum filled with all sorts of writing.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2009). The Genteel Unteaching of America’s Poor. Urbana, IL: Author.
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Press/Beers.pdf

Urban and rural school test scores report

Urban Schools Test Scores Are Encouraging
Part of a new report has compared large urban schools to rural and suburban counterparts in the same state and found encouraging improvement. The report points to a range of explanations for improvements that include the rise of accountability systems; urban school reform strategies; and the growth of mayoral control over city schools.
Brown Center on Education Policy. (2009). The 2008 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning? Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2009/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2009/0225_education_loveless/0225_education_loveless_release.pdf

Technology trends report

This yearly report offers their perspectives on technology trends and challenges. For example: 1 year (or less) Horizon: Mobiles and Cloud Computing
2-3 years: Geo-Everything and The Personal Web
4-5 years: Semantic-Aware Applications and Smart Objects
Johnson, L., Levine, A., & Smith, R. (2009). The 2009 Horizon Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2009-Horizon-Report.pdf

State library agencies report

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) issued its second library statistics report on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2007. The State Library Agency Report for FY 2007 includes a wide array of information on topics such as libraries’ Internet access and electronic services, collections, staff, and revenue. The survey provides state and federal policymakers, researchers, and other interested users information on the range of roles played by state library agencies and the financial, human, and informational resources invested in the agencies’ work.
ILMS. (2009). State Library Agency Report. Washington, DC: ILMS.
http://harvester.census.gov/imls/pubs/stla/index.asp