This study re-envisions the Nation's Report Card from a "whole child" perspective that considers not just students' academic achievement, but also their physical and mental health. Jaekyung Lee's integrated analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the National Survey of Children's Health datasets reveals that many…

In 2012, New York education officials and the state's teachers union announced one of the nation's most aggressive programs for teacher and principal evaluation--the Annual Professional Performance Review system (APPR)--which required that 40% of an educator's evaluation be based on student growth, using a combination of the state assessment and…

This article reports on a study of teachers who have engaged in systematic research about their practice. It describes the inquiries of two urban teachers into challenges and dilemmas common to many who work with diverse groups of students. The accounts presented reveal how teachers are able to construct new knowledge about teaching when they…

Houston's experience with the Educational Value-Added Assessment System (R) (EVAAS) raises questions that other districts should consider before buying the software and using it for high-stakes decisions. Researchers found that teachers in Houston, all of whom were under the EVAAS gun, but who taught relatively more racial minority students,…

Motivating elementary students in math can be a challenge. The authors describe an action research designed to determine the effects of differentiated instruction on 4th graders' academic achievement and motivation. Using a student self-assessment technique, the teacher had positive gains in both mathematics and motivation. The authors provide…

Sometimes it is important to put aside the research journals, political commentaries, and popular news about the state of education and stop long enough to listen to a voice of a 9-year-old. In this article, the author shares letters from her 9-year-old daughter Lina, who expresses her perspective on what matters most in a classroom. Lina's…

Early results from the Vermont Portfolio Project, which evaluated the progress of fourth and eighth graders in reading and mathematics using samples of student products, suggests that improvement is still needed in both subjects. Many factors will influence this pilot project's future direction, including availability of resources and development…

The New Standards Project, attempting to create an assessment system comprised of performance exams, portfolios and projects, may not have fulfilled its promise to create a national system of tests worth teaching to. However, NSP did deliver high- quality professional-development opportunities for hundreds of teachers across the nation. (Contains…