On Monday, March 28, the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) cohosted a webinar to discuss some of the lessons learned about teacher-effectiveness policy from Finland, Ontario, and Singapore. Linda Darling-Hammond from SCOPE and Robert Rothman of the Alliance, coeditors of the Alliance–SCOPE report, Teacher and Leader Effectiveness in High-Performing Education Systems, presented findings with video clips of senior policy officials who have studied the three systems. Alliance President Bob Wise served as moderator. The webinar also provided an opportunity for Darling-Hammond and Rothman to address questions submitted by viewers across the country.

On March 25 the Alliance held a webinar on the findings of the 2010 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher released this month in two parts. Part 1: Clearing the Path examines the importance of being college and career ready, what this level of preparation includes, and what it may take to get there. Part 2: Teaching Diverse Learners (coming March 23) looks at differences in student needs, how teachers address them, and how well students feel their needs are being met. William R. Hite, Jr., PhD, Prince George’s County Public Schools (Maryland); Kelly Kovacic, The Preuss School University of California–San Diego; Dana Markow, PhD, Harris Interactive; Susan Traiman, Business Roundtable; Dennis White, MetLife Foundation; and Bob Wise, Alliance for Excellent Education discussed the survey findings and their implications for shaping educational policies, including key elements in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the nation’s primary federal law governing K–12 education. The webinar also included a question and answer period to address questions submitted by viewers across the nation.

On March 24, the Alliance for Excellent Education, in partnership with the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), hosted “Foreclosed Futures, Part 1: The Impact of Homelessness on a Student’s Education,” the first in the webinar series focused on the issue of student homelessness. During this webinar, Phillip Lovell, vice president of federal advocacy at the Alliance for Excellent Education and Barbara Duffield, policy director at NAEHCY, featured the personal stories of four homeless students who talked about what it means to be homeless, as well as the challenges they face to graduate from high school. This webinar also provided an opportunity for Mr. Lovell and Ms. Duffield to address questions submitted by viewers across the country.

This month begins a very critical time for education reform. Congressional negotiations over the federal budget and the funding levels for the U.S. Department of Education are ongoing. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind, is starting to ramp up. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are out on the road campaigning for education during what the president is calling “Education Month” at the White House. At the same time, it is vitally important for teachers, school administrators, community advocates, business leaders, local government officials and others to be plugged into these conversations. Together, America’s Promise Alliance, the Alliance for Excellent Education, and United Way Worldwide are working together to activate these individuals in a movement to turn around the lowest-performing schools and raise high school graduation rates. On March 14, these three organizations hosted a webinar on two upcoming education events. During the webinar, Alliance for Excellent Education President Bob Wise set the political environment during which these important conversations are occurring. Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO, America’s Promise Alliance, and Stacey D. Stewart, executive vice president of community impact, United Way Worldwide, discussed their organization’s efforts to ensure that more Americans are plugged into this conversation and they talked about how you can make sure your voice is heard.

On March 10, the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Center for K–12 Assessment & Performance Management at ETS (K–12 Center) cohosted a webinar on some of the most salient measurement challenges associated with the use of through-course summative assessments. Some of the nation’s leading measurement experts—Henry Braun, Pascal D. Forgione Jr., Andrew Ho, Lauress Wise, and Rebecca Zwick—discussed issues such as scaling, linking, and reporting; aggregating results from through-course assessments; and interpretations of student growth over time. Robert Rothman served as moderator.

The national conversation around education has shifted from baseline academic proficiency to preparation for the rigors of college and the workplace. This shift comes as many college faculty and employers note that students graduating from American high schools are not prepared for postsecondary education or workplace demands. To address this topic, the Alliance is hosting a three-part webinar series, the first of which—“College and Career Readiness, Pt. 1: What Does the Research Say?"—was held on Wednesday, March 9. During the webinar, a distinguished panel of speakers shared lessons drawn from the body of research on college and career readiness and discussed recommendations for aligning policy and practice.

Congress has passed a short-term measure to prevent the federal government from shutting down, and the House of Representatives has passed proposed funding levels for the remainder of the year. The House-passed proposal would eliminate funding for Striving Readers in 2010 and 2011, while the short-term measure that has been signed into law eliminates the program in 2011. On Wednesday, March 9, the Alliance for Excellent Education hosted a webinar that provided an update on the budget negotiations taking place on Capitol Hill and how they will affect funding for the new comprehensive Striving Readers Literacy program. Alliance Vice President of Federal Advocacy Phillip Lovell was joined by Don Deshler from the University of Kansas' Center for Research on Learning and Cindy Parker with the Kentucky Department of Education to discuss the new Striving Readers Comprehensive Program, the research behind it, and the importance of comprehensive literacy plans in preparing students for college and careers.

On February 25, the Alliance held a webinar with two educational leaders—Michele Cahill of Carnegie Corporation of New York and Robert Hughes of New Visions for Public Schools—to talk about their respective roles in the redesign of secondary education in New York City that resulted in a more than 20 percent increase in the graduation rate—the largest in decades. The webinar addressed the district role in managing a portfolio of schools by maximizing partnerships with external organizations to fashion the elements of the reform. It focused on the lessons learned from this partnership that can help districts and states create innovative solutions to improve the outcomes of public school students, regardless of race or economic class.

On February 24, the Alliance hosted a webinar that explored the concept of deeper learning and how this important initiative can increase economic opportunity and civic engagement by educating students for a changing world. Alliance President Bob Wise joined Barbara Chow, program director of education at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and Andreas Schleicher, head of indicators and analysis division, at the OECD's Directorate for Education, to present an overview on deeper learning and talk about how it can help ensure that American students are rigorously prepared for success in a globally competitive workforce. Also during the webinar, Gov. Wise, Ms. Chow, and Mr. Schleicher answered related questions submitted by viewers from across the country.

On February 8, the Alliance for Excellent Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) cohosted a webinar about an initiative launched by the Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium. This initiative holds promise for shaping a common vision of skilled teaching commensurate with the national goal of preparing all students for college and careers. Twenty states have joined the AACTE, the Council of Chief State Schools Officers, and Stanford University to create a common teacher performance assessment that can be used to make preparation and licensing performance based. The webinar facilitated a conversation about the pilot underway and the implications for policies to improve the quality, consistency, and coherence of teaching nationwide. The webinar also included a question and answer period to address questions submitted by viewers across the nation.