Although the college and career readiness movement has propelled schools to further include all students into academic-based courses, students with disabilities continue to need instruction in skills needed for a successful life after school. Research has indicated that it is possible to design instruction to help students acquire skills in both…

Student readiness continues to be an issue among the professoriate (Cramer, 2010; Greenberg, 2010; Kelley, 2010). Enrolment growth trends in Canadian universities suggest this concern may remain prevalent for some time (Overall, 2011). At the secondary level, government bodies have developed and implemented policies and standardized assessment…

At the 1996 National Education Summit, a bipartisan group of governors and corporate leaders decided to create and lead an organization dedicated to supporting standards-based education reform efforts across the states. To do so, they formed Achieve as an independent, bi-partisan, non-profit education reform organization. This unique perspective…

On June 2, 2010, a group of educators and public officials met at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, to unveil something new: a set of standards for English language arts and mathematics intended to be common for all states. These standards were meant to replace the standards states had developed on their own over the past two…

The Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) at American Institutes for Research (AIR) publishes this biannual update of college- and career-readiness standards and assessment (CCRS-A) resources. This list of resources is designed to assist staff in state education agencies (SEAs) and other educators in their curricula, instruction, standards, and…

STEM education has received significant attention in the USA and is largely fueled by rhetoric suggesting the USA is losing its global competitive edge and that there is a lack of qualified workers available to fill growing STEM jobs. However, a counter discourse is emerging that questions the legitimacy of these claims. In response, we employed…

The Core to College initiative aims to facilitate greater coordination between K-12 and postsecondary education systems around implementation of the Common Core State Standards and aligned assessments. Core to College grants have been awarded to teams in Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon,…

In recent decades, the United States economy has undergone a dramatic shift to a knowledge-based economy that, when coupled with simultaneous, rapid globalization, has created a greater demand for a more educated and skilled workforce. The share of U.S. jobs requiring some level of postsecondary education is expected to grow to 63% in the next…

Employers report a shortage of talent for STEM-specific jobs -- and in areas such as health care that require "basic STEM competencies." The reasons are many, including: lack of authentic learning activities in STEM subjects, little time for science in elementary school, inadequate K-12 teacher preparation in math and science content,…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines through four lines of study to determine how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL), examines how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. This brief presents findings from C-SAIL's Implementation Study, which uses interview and survey…

In recent years, learning progressions (LPs) have captured the interest of educators and policy makers. There have been numerous efforts to develop LPs aligned to college and career readiness standards, to unpack these standards, and to provide more clarity on the pathways students follow to reach them. There is great variation, however, in the…

Since 2009, the Cowen Institute has conducted an annual poll to assess public perception of the public education system in New Orleans. The survey results in this report highlight the notion that, while progress has been made in New Orleans' public education, there is still room for improvement. The majority of respondents believe that charter…

Through extensive research, the Foundation has identified the most critical levers for success in the classroom -- high standards, high-quality feedback, and effective tools -- and worked with teachers to develop, test, and strengthen them. This report describes what we know about these factors, why they are important, and what we need to learn,…

The Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL), an affiliate of American Institutes for Research (AIR), publishes a biannual update of college- and career-readiness state standards and assessment resources. It is designed to assist staff in state education agencies (SEAs) and other educators in…