Blog

By Brad Gustafson You might be thinking, "I don't have time to write a grant" or maybe even "How can a single-sentence lead to anything meaningful?" The fact remains, we’re asking educators to make some really important pedagogical changes, but we have not changed how we think about school finance....

Over the next six months states will be filing their plans with the U.S. Department of Education to put in place the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This new law restructured many of the actions state and local education agency officials will need to make to design their educational services...

It’s time to Stand Up for Public Schools Providing tens of millions of children with a world-class education every day is a daunting responsibility, but our schools are making “incredible progress” in meeting the challenge thanks to committed and innovative problem-solving school leaders across the country. That was the message...

Helping students learn to read and comprehend complex texts, think critically about what they read, and synthesize information from multiple sources is one of the most crucial things schools do. How do we support students to achieve that level of literacy and finish high school ready for work or college...

Updated 3/21/2017 Several member organizations of the Learning First Alliance spoke out against the White House proposal to cut $9 billion in funding for public education and the U.S. Department of Education while funding new voucher and school choice programs. These are excepts from some of the statements: AASA, the...

Helping parents and your community understand student assessments and test scores is a recurring challenge--and dreaded exercise--for most educators. The National School Public Relations Association has just released Communication Planning and Strategic Tactics for Releasing High-Stakes Test Scores , published by NSPRA through a grant from the Learning First Alliance...

Preparing students for successful futures has long been championed as one of the most pivotal roles for educators and parents alike; that is, after all, the purpose of education. We are now beginning to recognize, however, that preparing young people for successful futures looks much different today than it did...

I recently attended an event on Race, Poverty, and School Reform, and I was surprised to hear almost every panelist discuss choice as the best way to reform schools. Research doesn’t support their claims, however. While choice is great and helps parents find programs and schools that best fit their...

Several LFA member organizations have issued statements opposing the Trump administration’s decision this week to rescind guidance protecting transgender students from discrimination. Following is a summary of those statements: The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) said that transgendered students are often bullied and subject to violence, harassment and discrimination. “By...

Expanding instructional time to help boost student performance and improve low-performing schools has been at the forefront of many reform efforts over the past five years. Former education secretary Arne Duncan was a strong advocate for “more and better learning time,” and saw it as a way to help level...