Multimedia

If you’re on the higher education beat, your readers are hungry for news and information about student loans and whether a particular college or major paid off in the form of a good job.

Luckily, the U.S. Department of Education has started providing free in-depth data on student debt levels and alumni earnings on its College Scorecard.

Carol Dweck, a distinguished professor and the scholar most associated with the now-widespread concept of “growth mindset,” talks about new studies on the impact the idea has had in education. How should a student learn from failure? If you tell students that the brain can be trained, will they feel encouraged to put in additional effort? And is feeling motivated even enough — what interventions are necessary when a student tries her best but isn’t comprehending the material?

Over the past decade research in neuroscience has provided an explosion of new knowledge and insights about the adolescent brain, shedding light on our understanding of teens’ complex neural state. Importantly, the field has focused on the development of neural circuits that underpin social, emotional, and motivational learning and how these systems change at the onset of puberty. These changes create not only vulnerabilities but also opportunities for learning.

How do the social backgrounds of students influence their time at school? Can teaching that’s culturally relevant for the nation’s growing number of non-white students address the achievement gap? Tyrone Howard, who leads the Black Male Institute, will guide a discussion on these questions.

Welcome Address

• Caroline Hendrie, Education Writers Association
• Michael Feuer, The George Washington University

Why do global comparisons in education matter? What do international assessments reveal, and what are their limitations? Have some countries been over-hyped based on their test scores? How do reporters make sense of it all for their readers?

College affordability has become a key topic in the 2016 presidential campaign, whether through Democratic candidates’ outlining varying approaches to a debt-free education at public universities or Republican contenders’ suggesting income-sharing arrangements and accreditation reform. A discussion of the nuances and potential of these ideas.

• Jason Delisle, New America
• Terry Hartle, American Council on Education
• Neal McCluskey, Cato Institute
• Colin Seeberger, Young Invincibles
• Kimberly Hefling, Politico (moderator)

Experts and advocates take stock of how early childhood and K-12 education issues are factoring into the presidential campaign. They offer analysis of the candidates’ track records, campaign rhetoric, and specific plans (or lack thereof), and explore the complex politics of education policy.

From calls for eliminating community college tuition to plans for allowing all students to leave public colleges debt-free, momentum is building to change the way families pay for college. But what does debt-free really mean, given that not all of the proposals add up the same way? What role will this issue play in the presidential election, and what effect would debt-free options have on private institutions? Is it really economically feasible for the nation to ditch student-loan debt?

It’s been a year since Florida prohibited public colleges and universities from requiring students to take the tests that determine who needs remedial education courses, meaning that any students could immediately enroll in courses that award college credit. As Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, Texas and other states similarly look to change how they approach remedial education, what do the early data on such moves indicate the impact of such changes might be?

Pensions are causing serious budget issues across the country, including Illinois. But issues around pensions go beyond the rising costs, and the session will explore those questions, too. How can reporters generate lively stories on this important (but potentially dull) subject?

• Diane Rado, Chicago Tribune (Speaker/Moderator)
• Chad Aldeman, Bellwether Education Partners
• Ralph Martire, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability

Schools often say they suspend misbehaving students to restore order and keep others safe. But a recent study questions the link between suspensions and school safety. This session flips the script, as a researcher moderates a panel of reporters who have explored alternatives to the usual diet of suspensions and expulsions.

Research suggests that many students who could succeed in college never get the chance to enroll. But studies also show this circumstance can be overcome by getting students more information about options in colleges, scholarships and financial aid. Gain insights from experts on what approaches help these students succeed.

At one flagship public university, the number of undergraduate students from China jumped from 37 in 2000 to 2,898 this year. As public universities recruited more international students, what impact has the increased diversity had on students’ academic and social lives?

• Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed (Speaker)
• Peggy Blumenthal, Institute of International Education
• Gil Latz, Association of International Education Administrators
• Nicole Tami, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Higher education faces a major challenge: How to educate more students better as resources and funding at most colleges mostly stay flat. This discussion will examine whether new technology and new approaches such as competency-based education or MOOCs can make college more affordable and effective.

• Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed (Moderator)
• Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Kevin Carey, New America
• Ryan Craig, University Ventures

Teacher effectiveness is a front-burner issue in districts nationwide. How are districts, state departments of education, and policymakers responding to the push to improve teacher performance and student outcomes? What does the latest research show on what’s working in public schools?

What does the new “Primary Sources” survey tell us about teachers’ perceptions of the Common Core State Standards? And what are teachers doing to reshape their classroom instruction in response to the new expectations for grade-level learning? 

Speaker:

Reporters describe their coverage of Common Core and ways to look at the rollout in lively and interesting ways.

A data analysis by Education Week showed a decline in applicants to education schools in key states and Ed Week’s Stephen Sawchuk walks participants through it. ACT’s Steve Kappler unveils a disturbing new report on a dropoff in high school graduates aspiring to teach. Other speakers review the implications of their findings and sources.

Children are the future, but they’re also the source of billions of data points, and the battle over that information has just begun. Startups are angling for a piece of the multibillion-dollar education market those kids represent, while government agencies are touting data collection to improve instruction. But who’s keeping student data safe?

Moderator:

• Benjamin Herold, Education Week

Speakers:

An ongoing “opt-out” campaign has stirred debate over whether students are over-tested., and what kind of tests are to blame. How much time – and money – do schools spend  on testing? A panel of experts explored the issue during “Too Many Tests?”

Here are the highlights of the discussion moderated by Emily Hanford of American RadioWorks. The panel included Matt Chingos of the Brookings Institution, Scott Marion of the National Center on Assessment, and Bob Schaeffer of FairTest.

A worrisome dimension of charter schooling is the oftentimes disproportionately low share of students with disabilities served by this sector of public education. Experts explore what explains the situation, what’s being done about it, and highlight examples where intensive work is underway to ensure that charters effectively serve the needs of all children, including those with disabilities.

Public policy efforts to expand private school choice continue to grow, and may well get a boost from GOP gains in the midterm elections last fall. From vouchers to tuition tax credits and education savings accounts, what’s happening, what’s on the horizon, and why? How do these initiatives vary across states and cities? What role does and should testing and accountability play in publicly subsidized choice initiatives? Where do key legal challenges stand?

This city has developed a robust and diverse set of public school options for students, including several dozen charter schools as well as the district’s own “innovation” schools. Denver is also seen as a place, unlike many, where the district and the charter sectors play well together. What does school choice look like in Denver? How meaningful are the options for students? Is the choice landscape promoting equity?

Learn more about their strategies for bringing the rollout of the standards to life, from covering debates over textbooks to the special challenges for rural school districts and how to creatively cover the math Common Core.

• Liana Heitin, Education Week
• Nate Robson, Oklahoma Watch
• Steve Drummond, NPR (moderator)

This school year marks the first time that most states will test students on the Common Core. At the same time, many states have backed away from their plans to use shared assessments and are choosing their own tests. Where do the states stand? How different will their new exams be from prior tests? And what are key questions reporters should keep in mind as they cover the first round of test results?

Star athletes accused of sexual assault. Student athletes forming their own labor unions and winning judgments that say they are eligible to profit from their popularity. Academic fraud. While stories such as these typically have been the turf of sports reporters, it’s becoming more important for education reporters to stay ahead of these issues. Two experts on the interplay between athletics and academics offer their insights.

Academics are just part of the story for many students entering college – a whole new culture of learning awaits them. But if they are first-generation college students, those cultural challenges can derail a promising postsecondary career. New research is exploring the effects mentoring programs and brief psychological interventions can have on low-income, minority and first-generation students. What can colleges do to promote resiliency and support student well-being for all students?  Are such efforts merely too much “coddling” of students by campuses? 

While high schools across the nation have increasingly turned their attention toward making their graduates “college and career ready,” many community colleges are pondering the best way to educate those adults who enroll underprepared. One approach that appears to be gaining momentum—in Connecticut, Florida and Texas, for example— is to eliminate developmental or remedial education offerings altogether, arguing that these costly courses deter students from earning degrees.

The Hechinger Report and NPR Education are diving deeply into the Common Core. Learn more about their strategies for bringing the rollout of the standards to life, from covering debates over textbooks to the challenge of better preparing teachers and figuring out what makes a good Common Core math problem.

Educators talk about their experiences on the ground with the Common Core standards and a researcher shares insights from a study of how new math standards are changing teaching and learning in the classroom.

It’s no secret that the standards and forthcoming tests have drawn increasingly strong criticism over the past year. Why has the Common Core become so controversial? What will the midterm election results mean for implementation and state support? And what happens in states that call for a review or even rescind the standards? Will much really change?

For new teachers, the first few years on the job can present a steep learning curve. And the students who need the most experienced teachers often don’t get them. How are schools, districts and states ramping up the support provided to new teachers? What are the hallmarks of a high-quality induction program? And what does the research show on the effects of coaching and mentoring?

Panelist:

Corey Drake, Michigan State University College of Education, presented her insight and programs from MSU at EWA’s 2014 Seminar on Teaching.

Whether it’s a curriculum that makes religion the fourth “R,” a principal who steers lucrative contracts to family members, or test scores that remain stuck in the cellar, charter schools often make the news for all the wrong reasons. Analysts have long seen a connection between problem charters and the process for deciding who gets a charter to operate in the first place. But how much difference does the quality of charter authorizing actually make? Have efforts to strengthen charter authorizing been effective, and if so, where?

More places are experimenting with state-run initiatives to address chronically low-performing public schools. Converting such schools to charters is among the strategies these state-led districts employ. We showcase leading examples of the trend, including the Achievement School District in Tennessee. Observers also comment on the Louisiana Recovery School District and the Michigan Education Achievement Authority. How well are their strategies working?

Big changes are afoot in how schools prepare students for the knowledge economy. Career and technical education is no longer and byword for tracking, and districts are exploring ways to make science and technology learning hands-on. Our panelists discuss the trends and challenges in preparing students for a meaningful place in the highly skilled workforce.

Speakers: Jim Stone III, National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Louisville; Steve Rockenbach, Ernest S. McBride High School; Abraham Orozco, Heart of Los Angeles.

What do officials of the two large-scale testing consortia – Smarter Balanced and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — see for the future?

The political debate about Common Core is ongoing, but other issues are coming to the fore. What are the checks and balances amid the frenzy of products purportedly aligned to the standards? How are states and districts engaging parents? Will colleges accept that high school graduates educated to the standards are college-ready? Our panelists address these and other issues.