Deeper Learning Digest: #PBLWeek

The Deeper Learning Digest is a regular feature that includes content related to Deeper Learning, project-based learning, the Common Core State Standards, and 21st century skills. Find out more about Deeper Learning at www.DeeperLearning4All.org

News and Views

• A new ‘Education Declaration’ for genuine school reform – The Washington Post

“A coalition of educators, researchers, parents, activists and elected officials issued what signees are calling an “Education Declaration” on Tuesday that lists seven key principles on which genuine school reform should be guided for the 21st century and starts from the premise that public education is “a public good.”
The document offers a progressive approach to school reform that includes ensuring that teachers are properly trained and respected, that opportunities to learn for all students are paramount and that  learning must be “engaging and relevant.”

• In case you missed it, here are three op/eds on the Common Core State Standards from this week, two from USA Today, one from John Merrow:
  Myths Fuel Attacks on ‘Common Core’ standards: Our view – USA Today
  Include Parents in Standards Debate: Opposing View – USA Today
  The Common Core and the End of the World – Taking Note
  

• My Top Three Policy Recommendations for Education Reform – Education Week
  By Justin Reich
  “I was recently asked for my top three recommendations for policy and "non-policy" strategies for improving education, particularly with an eye towards increasing equity and advancing deeper learning (the development of student competencies like ill-structured problem solving, communication, and new media literacy in the context of academic content learning).”
• Teacher-Led Professional Learning: The Latest Revolution In Education – edudemic
• Expeditionary Learning Launches Its First NYC Charter – Education Week
• Aspen Institute Launches Task Force on Learning and the Internet – PR Wire
  

Project Based Learning Week (#PBLWeek)

This week, the Buck Institute for Education introduces "#PBLWeek: A Celebration of the PBL Graduate." From Monday (6.17.13) through Friday (6.21.13) join BIE and PBLers across the globe in answering an important Driving Question about students who have experiences PBL in their school: "What is remarkable about a PBL graduate?" Follow the PBL Week Pinterest Board and the #PBLWeek hashtag across a variety of social networks (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,Edmodo) to stay tuned to what is going on.

In that same vein, there will be a project based learning Twitter chat this Tuesday, June 18 at 8pm EST using the hash tag #PBLChat.

Infographics

Because who doesn’t love a good infographic? Here are some that caught our attention this week and that might be helpful for your various networks.

• A Simple Guide To 4 Complex Learning Theories – edudemic
• 12 Principles Of Collaboration In Learning – TeachThought
• 3 Ways To Use Vine In The Project-Based Learning Classroom – TeachThought
• 27 Ways To Be A 21st Century Teacher – edudemic
  

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Afternoon Announcements: Common Core Standards Transforming Classrooms in Idaho

According to a recent Gallup report, high school teachings often don’t instill 21st-century skills in students, such as collaboration and real-world problem solving. The report found that only 22 percent of students say that teachers prompt them to use what they have learned in real world problems. High School Notes

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited Atlanta at the end of last week. He addressed the annual meeting of the nation’s black mayors. He discussed the Obama administrations plans to finding the money needed to fund a national expansion of early learning programs. CBS Atlanta

Do school suspensions deter poor behavior, or simply keep some students from reaching their potential? California has recently become a battleground state for this discussion, and other states are following suit. Some of the offenses that have led to suspensions include trivial issues such as bringing a cell phone to school and public displays of affection. NPR

The Common Core State Standards present an opportunity to transform classrooms for the better. In one Idaho classroom, students use their math education to solve real world problems instead of simply solving rote equations and problems. Idaho State Journal Read Entire Post

Deeper Learning Is Deep Knowledge

Tom Loveless’s recent commentary on deeper learning confused me. What he described does not resemble any example of deeper learning I have seen, or the kind of learning the Alliance for Excellent Education has been advocating for all students.

Loveless asserts that deeper learning is hostile to content knowledge. He claims that it is an attempt to “dethrone the prominent role of knowledge in schools”; that it purports that “knowing about science is inferior to doing science.”

That is not my experience. Here’s the Alliance’s definition of deeper learning: “Deeper learning prepares students to:

• know and master core academic content;
• think critically and solve complex problems;
• work collaboratively;
• communicate effectively; and
• be self-directed and able to incorporate feedback.”
  

Notice what’s first on that list? “Know and master core academic content.” Read Entire Post

President Obama Sees Deeper Learning in Action

On Thursday, May 9, President Obama went to Austin, Texas, to talk about jobs, skills, and opportunity. His first stop was a school: Manor New Tech High School. That was no accident. As the President put it, “Every day, this school is proving that every child has the potential to learn the real-world skills they need to succeed in college and beyond.”

He was right. Manor (pronounced May-nor) New Tech is part of the New Tech Network, a group of 115 schools in eighteen states that are designed to foster students’ abilities to understand core content and use their knowledge to think critically and solve problems, and to communicate effectively—the deeper learning competencies that are essential for their future. The school, like the others in the network, accomplishes this goal by integrating technology into every classroom and engaging students in a project-based approach that enables them to apply their learning to authentic situations.

President Obama mentioned some of these projects in his address: “A history teacher might get together with a science teacher to develop a project on the impact of castles in world history and the engineering behind building castles. Or a group of students might be in charge of putting together a multi-media presentation about moral dilemmas in literature as applied in World War II.” In addition, as the President noted, students take part in internships, which give them hands-on experiences in real work settings, and give as many as 200 speeches during their school career, which develops their communications skills. “I can relate,” Mr. Obama quipped. Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: President Obama Visits New Tech School Known for Deeper Learning

Utah’s State School Board supports the Common Core State Standards and has asked the Governor, along with state lawmakers, to do the same. In a series of passed resolutions, they outlined their support of the new Standards. “There seems to be some confusion surrounding the Common Core so the intent was the help clarify some of the misconceptions about that,” said David Crandall, vice chairman of the State School Board. Deseret News

Yesterday, President Obama visited a New Tech school in Texas. The school is part of a network making a name for itself by incorporating innovative digital technology and deeper learning standards to improve student outcomes. “The workforce is demanding these skills,” Alliance president Bob Wise said of the approach New Tech schools take. Christian Science Monitor

High school graduation costs seem to rise with every passing year. In addition to purchasing ga cap and gown, parents are encouraged to spend money on senior photos, yearbooks, class rings, and proms, among other things. CNBC

New proposed legislation submitted this week in the House of Representatives aims to tie student loan interest rates to the 10-year Treasury note, plus 2.5 interest. The bill would half the interest rate hike that will go forward this summer on student loan interest rates if Congress and the administration don’t stop it. Politics K-12 Read Entire Post

Assessing the Digital Native Student

It's Thursday and it's time to talk digital learning! The following blog post comes from Rebecca McLelland-Crawley, one of the Project 24 Team of Experts and the K-12 Science Supervisor at West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in New Jersey. 

When we think about assessments, it is really easy to pull up an image of multiple choice questions and Ticonderoga pencils en masse. However, my stance on assessment is quite different. Most of the tests created by others and scored with a machine did not capture the strengths of my students. As a matter of fact, I doubt that most tests of this nature can really identify what we truly want our students to do in a global society of the 21st Century.  

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No Expectations: Harmful Treaties in Community Colleges

In his classic book, Horace’s Compromise, the late educator Ted Sizer wrote that high school teachers and students enact “treaties” with one another: the students agree not to cause trouble, and the teachers agree not to push the students too hard. The result, all too often, is that students don’t learn very much.

A new study by the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) shows that community colleges and their students appear to engage in similar negotiations, with similar results for students. The cost is much higher than it was three decades ago, when Sizer wrote his book, though, because the need for higher levels of knowledge and skill is much greater now.

The NCEE study looked closely at entry-level mathematics and English courses in seven community colleges. The researchers examined the textbooks used, the assignments given to students, and the tests teachers administered. What they found was disturbing. Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: PBS Special Looks at Deeper Learning in Action

An increasing number of assessments will be taken digitally in the coming years, and the ACT college admissions exam joined the list today. Starting in the spring of 2015 the test will be administered online. “We are moving to a computer-based version, but for the foreseeable future, we will also have the paper and pencil test as an option for schools that don’t have the technological capability,” said Jon Erickson, the president of ACT’s Education Division. New York Times

Buena Vista School District in Michigan might be small, but its teachers are mighty. The school district has run out of funds to pay its 27 teachers, but they voted to continue teaching until the end of the year on June 23rd. Huffington Post

Speaking of teacher pay, a new report released this week shows a large majority of teachers in the nation’s largest school districts took pay cuts or say their pay frozen at least one year between 2008 and 2012. New York Times

The PBS NewsHour special, "Problem Solvers" aired last night. Special correspondent John Tulenko of Learning Matters reported on a public middle school in Portland, Maine that takes a unique approach to teaching. Teachers incorporate deeper learning competencies - focusing on comprehensive science curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving. The video and transcript are available online. PBS NewsHour

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Representative George Miller and Alliance President Bob Wise Agree: Students Need a 21st-Century Education

It's not every day that a member of Congress teams up with a non-profit organization to further a bipartisan goal, but that's what happened when Representative George Miller (D-CA) and Alliance President and former West Virginia governor Bob Wise co-wrote an editorial for Politico. Both Rep. Miller and Gov. Wise champion educational transformation, and they both believe in the power of digital technology to increase accessibility, opportunity, and achievement for all students, everywhere. 

Earlier this year, Rep. Miller introduced the "Transforming Education Through Technology Act," which would "update and modernize learning systems by supporting teachers and principals in the use of new technology to redesign curricula, incorporate technology into classrooms and provide assistance with real-time data and assessments," as the op-ed explains. If passed, this bill has the power to expand technology innovation that can transform teaching and learning, just as onlnie ordering has changed the way we eat.

At the same time, Gov. Wise has led the Alliance for Excellent Education's Project 24, a district-level initiative to connect school districts to planning and resource materials to aid them in the transition and implementation of digital technology. 

"Over the next 24 months, the Alliance will help school districts to implement a strategic plan for strengthening education outcomes through the use of technology at no cost," the joint op-ed reads. "The Alliance will help participating districts through a comprehensive planning process around seven interconnected areas where technology and digital learning can improve student achievement: teaching and professional learning, use of time, budget and resources, data systems and online assessments, curriculum and instruction, technology and infrastructure, and academic support and resources."

Rep. Miller and Gov. Wise share a common goal: to ensure that every student everywhere has the opportunity to learn. They share the vision that upgrading digital technology in schools around the nation can achieve that goal. 

"Families can order dinner with the click of a button on a smartphone or computer, but teachers are still wiping chalk off blackboards. Newspapers and magazines are delivered to tablets every morning, but students study from texts that become outdated as soon as they are released," Rep. Miller and Gov. Wise write. "No single solution exists for these problems, but an effective use of technology can be a tool to increasing access to educational opportunities for disadvantaged students and closing the achievement gap. It can also empower teachers to design an educational experience that extends beyond the four walls of the classroom."

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Everyone's Getting Straight A's: OECD Test Compares Individual Schools to Highest-Performing Nations

We're back at you with another issue of Straight A's, the Alliance for Excellent Education's bi-weekly newsletter! As always, you can read the entire articles online, or you can sign up to receive Straight A's in your inbox by emailing JAmos@all4ed.org. Here are the highlights.

President Obama releasd his budget proposal today, but will he be able to convince Congress his plan is as good as he believes it to be? The congressional budget resolution is a nonbinding spending blueprint that sets monetary limits for the spending and tax legislation that the U.S. Congress will consider for the rest of the year. It does not require presidential approval and only the grand total of the discretionary spending laid out in the final budget resolution is binding on the appropriations committees. Nonetheless, the congressional budget resolution is an important step in the budgeting process because it provides guidance to the chairmen of the appropriations committees on how to divide resources among various federal departments and agencies, and sets the stage for the twelve annual appropriations bills that must be passed by Congress and signed by the president. Congressional Budget Resolutions

A large percentage of American middle-class high schools have not kept pace with countries like Singapore, Finland, Korea, and Germany that have raised standards, invested in teachers, and lifted their overall performance, according to a new report from America Achieves. The report, Middle Class or Middle of the Pack?: What Can We Learn When Benchmarking U.S. Schools Against the World’s Best?, finds that middle-class American fifteen-year-olds are “significantly” outperformed by their peers in twenty-four countries in math and fifteen countries in science based on a pilot study involving 105 American high schools that administered a new test known as the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Test for Schools (based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)). The test measures students’ abilities to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems, the kinds of deeper learning necessary to succeed in college and the workplace. Middle Class or Middle of the Pack?

The Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education (the Gordon Commission) recently issued a public policy statement based on its two-plus years of work designed to “stimulate a productive national conversation about assessment and its relationship to teaching and learning.” Transforming Assessment

School districts and states must find affordable and feasible ways to improve student assessments so that they measure high-level skills and knowledge, a new report from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education finds. The report, Developing Assessments of Deeper Learning: The Costs and Benefits of Using Tests that Help Students Learn, provides data on what states and districts currently spend on tests; examines the failings of current multiple-choice tests; and analyzes the costs and opportunities of creating, implementing, and scoring assessments that ensure students are equipped with twenty-first-century competencies. Developing Assessments of Deeper Learning

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