Gates: Give More Students Access to Great Teachers
Posted on February 28th, 2011 by ASEE
Microsoft founder Bill Gates says the nation isn’t getting its money’s worth in education, and faults two assumptions that have led to rising costs: that reducing class size will boost student achievement, and that teachers must be rewarded on the basis of seniority. He suggests identifying the top 25 percent of teachers and paying them more to teach more students.
Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »
Tags: Corporations, Education Policy, Research on Learning, Teacher Training, Teachers
Pathways In Technology Early College High School, a new school opening this fall in Brooklyn, N.Y., is partnering with IBM to offer internships and hands-on training in computers, engineering and information technology for all students. Students also will be able to take college-level classes at CUNY and earn an associate’s degree.
Teach for America is the latest player in the nation’s effort to improve STEM education. The alternative teacher-preparation program is getting a $500,000 financial boost from the ExxonMobil Foundation to recruit and train recent college graduates for math and science teaching positions in high-needs communities.
A group of Delaware teachers participated in an initiative that pairs each one with a university expert in a particular course the teacher is offering. One teacher described it as “life changing.” Called the Yale National Initiative, the program creates a partnership between universities and high-need schools.
An panel convened by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education is calling for an overhaul of teacher preparation in the United States, with training programs operating more like medical schools and setting tougher admission and graduation standards.
The Kenan Fellows Program at North Carolonia State University, is an innovative model to promote teacher leadership, address teacher retention and advance K-12 science, technology and mathematics education. Kenan Fellows are public school teachers from diverse disciplines, selected through a competitive process to participate in a prestigious fellowship — all while remaining active in the classroom. Please check the Website in December for 2011 Fellowship Information.
This full-day workshop on December 4, 2010, 9am – 4pm, from the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, Tufts University, is intended to provide an immersive introduction of stop-motion animation to K-16 teachers using SAM Animation. Location: Tufts University, 474 Boston Ave, Medford, MA. Cost: $420.
Countries with top-performing schools and students — think Singapore, Finland, and South Korea — recruit their teachers from the top third of college graduates, according to a new study. Yet only 23 percent of U.S. teachers come from the top third of graduates. Salary may be a key component.
The Obama Administration has pushed for greater use of merit pay to reward teachers when students make gains in standardized tests. Yet, a new study has found that merit payments of up to $15,000 didn’t improve academic performance.
