Innovation

Photo Credit: Godot13Private schools are booming in poor countries. Governments should either help them or get out of their way.Read the rest of the story at The Economist.

Allison Rodman took time to discuss the personalization of PD for teachers with Dr. Berger.

Investments in educational training, media and services, also known as edtech, grew to $367.4 million across 24 deals in the second quarter of 2015, a record for venture dollars flowing to the sector in a single quarter, according to Dow Jones VentureSource data, Lora Kolodny reports for VentureWire. Tory Patterson, an investor and board member of edtech companies, including LearnZillion,Newsela and MasteryConnect, says that startups in this field have a chance to unseat incumbents in a massive, for-profit business because of the introduction of broadband Internet, mobile and social technology in schools.Read the rest of the story at The Wall Street Journal Venture Capital Dispatch.

Photo Credit: S B F Ryanby Tara E. BuckSouthern New Hampshire University president argues true disruption comes in the form of online, competency-based providers who deftly meet modern students’ — and industry’s — needs.Read the rest of the story on EdTech.

P ete Hall, ASCD Faculty member and author, talks about the role reflection plays in ones’ professional development and effectiveness in the classroom. Hall also reminisces about his path from educator to award winning administrator and the impact those experiences have had on his current efforts to support the field.Hall is the former principal of Shaw Middle School, a Title I school in Spokane (Washington) Public Schools. After a teaching career that spanned three states and included primary, intermediate, and middle school positions, Hall served as principal of Anderson Elementary School in Reno, Nevada.When he took over Anderson Elementary in 2002, it was one of the only schools in Nevada to have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for four consecutive years. Two short years later, it was the only Title I school in the state of Nevada to earn a “high-achieving” designation.Hall teaches the capacity-building model of professional development. This emphasizes three things― identifying teachers’ strengths, maximizing their potential, and building their capacity―as a gateway to enhanced student achievement.Hall’s ASCD books, both co-authored with Alisa Simeral, are: Building Teachers’ Capacity for Success: A Collaborative Approach for Coaches and School Leaders (2008) and Teach, Reflect, Learn: Building Your Capacity for Success in the Classroom, released in April 2015.

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Agricultureby Stephen E. Bradforth, Emily R. Miller, William R. Dichtel, Adam K. Leibovich, Andrew L. Feig, James D. Martin, Karen S. Bjorkman, Zachary D. Schultz & Tobin L. SmithIt is time to use evidence-based teaching practices at all levels by providing incentives and effective evaluations, urge Stephen E. Bradforth, Emily R. Miller and colleagues.Read the rest of the story at Nature. 

Photo Credit: Garry Knightby Mara Rose WilliamsSen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has the grim sexual abuse numbers on his website:Nearly 300,000 victims of rape and sexual assault a year. Young women experiencing the highest rates of violence from their boyfriends.Read the rest of the story at The Kansas City Star.

Photo Credit:  www.leanforward.comby Keith KruegerDon’t forget these keys of mobile implementationsWhy are some mobile learning implementations successful while others struggle? It seems struggling districts are missing at least one of a handful of ingredients that successful districts have in common. When it comes to mobile learning success, leaving out just one key ingredient can ruin an otherwise perfect recipe.Read the rest of the story at eSchool News.

by Jordan ShapiroWhat are the biggest obstacles to changing education? Some are economic. Others are infrastructural. Few are technological. The most significant challenges are philosophical. We are wedded to particular ways of thinking about school and learning and life that are limiting our ability to best serve our children.Read the rest of the story at Forbes.