The Albert Shanker Institute-Education Page

Working Without a Net
This Public Agenda report on new teachers raises questions about the support given to new teachers who come to teaching through alternate routes—new teachers who are often placed in the most troubled schools. It gives voice to these teachers' concerns once they are on the job— concerns about insufficient support from school admin-istrators and insufficient advice and help from colleagues.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat.)

How Should Teachers Be Graded?

Research has established the link between student achieve-ment and teaching quality, but not what this should mean in terms of policy and practice. This Christian Science Monitor article looks at the "noisy" national debate on "how to ensure that public school teachers are well qualified—and receive enough support— to do their jobs.”

Why Teacher Unions Are Good for Teachers and the Public
Noted education historian and Shanker Institute board member Diane Ravitch argues that unions were established to protect teachers from ill-conceived instructional mandates, intoler-able conditions, and poor com-pensation. These roles are as important today as they were 100 years ago.

Standards and Testing, Yes, but What Else?
This Public Agenda survey shows general agreement among education stakeholders that standards, testing, and the implementation of No Child Left Behind are “necessary, but not sufficient” reforms for improving education. Much more needs to be done.

National Prekindergarten Study
Many of the teachers in the nation's state-funded preschool classrooms have limited education and are paid poorly, according to a national study. (Requires Adobe Acrobat.)

Restoring the Balance between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools
Civic education in the United States is being neglected because of a renewed emphasis on reading and math spurred by the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act, says a new report, which offers suggestions for correcting the problem.

Teaching Interrupted
This report by Public Agenda investigates the effects of disruptive students on teachers and teaching. "Too many students are losing opportunities for learning and too many teachers are leaving the profession" due to continual disruptive behavior of a few students.

Weaving Webs
The tricky issue of the structure of school leadership is dis-cussed in this article, which proposes several alternatives, including those suggested in the ASI publication Building a New Structure for School Leadership by Richard Elmore.

Many Americans Can Read, But Can't Comprehend
ASI board member E.D. Hirsch writes about the perils of learn-ing without understanding, citing student differences in reading comprehension. To achieve equal educational opportunity, he argues, the education system must do a better job of providing all students with rich content knowledge.

Inequality at the Starting Gate
A study by the Economic Policy Institute documents the link between poverty and academic disadvantage, starting well before children enter school.

A Medical Model for Education Research
Can data-driven decision making, coupled with professional judgment, lead to a new era of educational achievement?

A Knowledge Base for the Teaching Profession
A thoughtful proposal on how teachers and researchers can work together to build and continually improve the professional knowledge base. (Requires Adobe Acrobat.)

Teachers Lack Curriculum To Teach State Standards
"Lost at Sea," a study of new Mass. teachers, concludes that few are provided with a clear, detailed curriculum. Even fewer received curricula that aligned with state standards.

Scientific Research in Education
This report from the National Research Council provides a framework for judging the quality of education research and suggests a path toward improvement.

Head Start for All?
When former AFT President Sandra Feldman proposed universal preschool, Time magazine hosted a debate on whether Head Start should serve as its cornerstone.

Looking to France
The ASI and other policy groups look abroad for lessons on improving the quality of early childhood education.

Albert Shanker was so dedicated to public education that, in order to preserve and improve it, he dared to expose its weaknesses and point the way to its transformation. As president of the American Federation of Teachers, Shanker introduced innovative education reform ideas into the national debate. The Albert Shanker Institute continues this legacy by promoting discussions and sponsoring research on new and workable approaches to improving public education in America. The following are among these efforts:

Report Shows Benefits of Rich Pre-K Curriculum
As the Obama administration turns its attention to expanding access to quality preschool education, a new Shanker Institute report shows that the efficacy of preschool programs—both in stimulating children’s cognitive development and effectively reducing the achievement gap—can be significantly improved if programs are aligned with new research about how children learn in the academic areas of oral language, literacy, math, and science. The report is titled "Preschool Curriculum: What's in It for Children and Teachers." For each subject area, the report draws on the research literature to explain how very young children develop skills and knowledge, then indicates appropriate accomplishments for pre-K children; key components of a strong curriculum; suggestions for working with English language learners; and additional resources for the content area.

& Download the full report. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
& Download an Early Ed Watch article on the report.

Institute Launches "Good Schools" Seminars
After years of hosting discrete forums that attracted participants according to topical interest, the Albert Shanker Institute has launched a new seminar series for union leaders, their superintendents, and researchers that offers participants the opportunity to explore key issues more deeply. The series began with two off-the-record conversations held in June 2007 and January 2008. Both provided labor-management partners and researchers with an overview of current debates on how contract provisions affect teacher policies and looked at what the research really has to say on effective teacher preparation, induction, assignment, and compensation policies. They also experimented with some key features that are unusual in the field of education. Most significantly, practitioners, administrators, and researchers had an equal place at the table, interacting as both participants and presenters.

& See the June 2007 seminar agenda.
& See the January 2008 seminar agenda.
& See the November 2008 seminar agenda.
& See the April 2009 seminar agenda.

& See the April 2010 seminar agenda.

Forum Series Links Best Evidence to Classroom Practice
The Albert Shanker Institute sponsors a periodic forum series, designed to highlight best research on key educational issues, then to link these findings to the practical steps that schools can take to improve student achievement. Held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, these events bring together a select group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss crucial issues about which research and practice appear to diverge.

& Read the transcript of the May 2007 forum on high school dropout rates.
Read the transcript of the June 2006 forum on pay for performance systems.
& Read the transcript of the May 2006 forum on background knowledge and reading proficiency.
& Read the transcript of the May 2005 forum on improving the teaching and learning of mathematics.
& Read the transcript of the April 2005 forum on reading disabilities, reading difficulties, and school-based interventions that work.
& Read a transcript of the Oct. 2004 forum on preschool assessment.
& See press coverage of the Oct. 2002 forum on strategies to improve student behavior and support achievement.
& Read a transcript of the June 2002 forum on using professional development to raise student achievement.
& Read a transcript of the May 2002 forum on language and literacy development.
& Read more about this forum series.

Democracy: Teach It
Education for Democracy, released by the institute in conjunction with the beginning of a new school year, the second anniversary of the September 11terrorist attacks, and the 40th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, is a new statement calling for improvement in the teaching of democracy. Endorsed by a wide range of prominent citizens, scholars and educators—including former President Bill Clinton, President Reagan's UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, historian David McCullough, essayist Richard Rodriguez, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, actor Christopher Reeve, and Middle East scholar Fouad Ajami—the document calls for an expanded course of study in history, civics, and the humanities, providing students with a full, warts-and-all understanding of our own and other nations. Published copies will soon be available at $5 each from the institute’s offices (including shipping and handling).

& Read the press release.
& Download a final copy of Education for Democracy. (Requires free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Educating Democracy: State Standards To Ensure a Civic Core
In this companion study (see above), historian Paul Gagnon analyzes the relevant academic standards from each state and provides concrete suggestions for how they could be improved to provide all students with the skills and knowledge they need to become committed, thoughtful citizens. Gagnon proposes that states adopt a rich, common core of historical and political learning for all students, and provides a model of what such a core might look like. Copies of this publication are available for $15 each ($10 each for orders of five or more) from the institute's offices.

& Read more about this report.
& Download excerpts, including state-by-state reviews.

Bridging the Gap Between Standards and Achievement: Report on the Imperative for Professional Development in Education
In this publication, released by the Albert Shanker Institute in conjunction with a professional development forum cosponsored with Achieve, Inc. (see below), Harvard professor Richard Elmore argues that education reforms that are based on standards and accountability will fail unless policymakers also adopt a strategy to ensure that educators have the knowledge and skill they need to help students succeed. The bottom line, says Elmore, is not in issues of governance and process, but in how the quality of instructional practice affects student learning. Copies of this publication are $10 each from the institute’s offices (including shipping and handling).

& Download the full report. (Requires free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Bridging the Gap Between State Standards and Classroom Achievement: Forum on the Challenge of Curriculum and Professional Development
Unless states step in to help turn standards into the tools that schools need, the promise of standards-based reform will be lost. That was the message of a March 2002 forum for educators, policymakers, and business leaders, cosponsored by the Albert Shanker Institute and Achieve, Inc. "Very few states have developed even a basic curriculum," said Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers and Albert Shanker Institute. That's one reason that teachers' support for standards has been slipping, she said—from 73 percent in ASI's 1999 poll (see below) to just over 50 percent in a recent AFT poll. "It's much easier to put a new test into place than to implement the effective supports that kids really need," said Feldman. "Quality curricula and professional development—this is the next frontier for standards-based reform."

& Read about the conference in Education Week.
& See the conference agenda.

Building a New Structure for School Leadership
In a major research analysis, Richard F. Elmore explores the problems with the structure and leadership of public education, while explaining the dangers of public funding for private schools. He urges educators to study the schools whose leaders and best practices are succeeding in meeting high standards. The report features successful efforts in districts where exemplary superintendents and principals are making it possible for teachers to offer excellent instruction. Copies of this publication are $10 each from the institute’s offices (including shipping and handling).

& Download the full report. (Requires free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

The Teaching Gap
The institute provided a grant to support the writing of this book, by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert, which explores the school system's failure to support a culture of professional development for teachers. It compares what's lacking in teacher training in this country with what's working in Japan, where teachers spend time working together to improve their skills.

& Read the press release.
& Preview the first chapter.
& Get ordering information and other links.

Standards-Based Education Reform: Teachers' and Principals' Perspectives
Despite concerns about implementation, this institute survey of teachers and principals, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, found overwhelming and growing support for standards-based education reform among those who must make reform a reality in individual classrooms and schools.

& Read the press release.
& Download the full report. (Requires free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Last updated: June 30, 2009