Blog

In The Line's first civil discourse webinar, we dig into the complicated situations in Puerto Rico and Louisiana exacerbated by devastating hurricanes. I had the privilege of moderating the conversation between Dr. Julia Keleher, Secretary of Education for Puerto Rico, and Mr. Paul Pastorek, consultant to Puerto Rico Department of Education and former Superintendent of Education for Louisiana. They let us in on their experience of rebuilding after disaster--and the surprising truth that out of some of the toughest situations, the greatest opportunities emerge.

The Frontline Research & Learning Institute was founded with one goal: to provide data-driven research, resources and observations to support and advance the educational community. With data from over 7,500 K-12 organizations and millions of users, we want to put these insights directly at our clients’ fingertips — and make them actionable.

With the first semester of the academic year over, it’s time for a mid-year review. Let’s look at employee absence and substitute activity data from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute and see how the 2018-19 school year is progressing in three key areas.

Equity is a large topic in education – one that requires not only dialogue, but also data upon which to base that dialogue. Regarding one particular area of equity, over- and under-classification rates, the Institute has covered a great deal of research and data on contributing factors in our Crossing the Line report series. The fourth issue of The Line is also dedicated to the conversation on Equity and Opportunity.

Following on the heels of the first report, the second report, Repairing the Leak, pointed out an additional bias: hiring for “cultural fit” — an often-ill-defined concept that could be masking unconscious bias in teacher hiring.

We’re all familiar with surveys. We use them whenever we seek information from groups of people, and they are our go-to data collection strategy for evaluating professional development. We may call them questionnaires or feedback forms, but the purpose remains the same - for leaders to gain insight into how educators are experiencing and learning from professional development, changing teaching practices in the classroom and impacting student learning.

The Institute surveyed hundreds of hiring managers across the country, from school districts of all sizes and in all settings, to explore their perceptions of the teacher pipeline and the strategies they use to hire new educators. Our discoveries are published in the new report, Repairing the Leak: How “Cultural Fit” Rusts the Teacher Pipeline.

Quality education must be delivered to all students – no matter where they are born or where they live. Through Issue 4 of The Line, I hope you are challenged by listening to diverse voices, convicted by lingering opportunity gaps and inspired by educators and education leaders everywhere who are not giving up.

On October 30, 2018, a group of education and community leaders gathered at Prairie Knights Casino on Standing Rock Reservation, an hour south of Bismarck, North Dakota. One of the most rural states in the union, North Dakota has a population of just 750,000 and a strong and vibrant Native American culture – a perfect backdrop to focus on rural education and equity for all students.

In an unprecedented maneuver, ESSA brought data to the forefront of its equity-focused mission. Specific reporting rules require education agencies at every level to collect and use more data ― data that will likely expose education inequities in funding as well as access to rigorous curriculum and effective teachers. ESSA outlines clear requirements targeting statewide accountability systems that address progress gaps for groups of low-performing students.

The 3rd annual report from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute is now available, featuring insights around employee absences, substitute placement and hiring data in K-12 over the past three years. In addition, it’s the Institute’s first annual report to delve into data around employee absences by district locale and size.

In our report series Crossing the Line, we explored special education classification rates – in particular, the diversity across states and local school districts and implications on equity. We explored the perceived impact of policy and resources, district support and services, and even professional development on special education classification rates. As we process through those findings, inevitably we have to ask the question, “What now?” How do we translate data into action?