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| Restoring the Balance in Your School or District
As the summer slowly comes to an end, I’m reminded of the feeling each new school year brings. It’s a mix of excitement and nerves, especially after last year when we’ve seen increased burnout across the profession. Research explains burnout as the stress of the job outweighing the benefits. If we imagine a balance scale, with benefits on one side and stress on the other, we might see salary and job satisfaction being weighed down by feeling unsupported, dealing with upset families, and working long hours. As you step into the upcoming year, you might ask yourself, “How can I help restore the balance?”
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| Studies find that teachers experience more job satisfaction and less burnout when they feel competent and confident in their roles. We can all help each other find moments of joy in our schools and classrooms. When you see someone making progress toward their goals, let them know. When restoring the balance in your schools, don’t do it alone. Ask others for input, brainstorm a picture of success, and work together to implement next steps. Teaching is still a great profession, and the work you do is incredibly important. I hope the remainder of your summer is filled with time to rest, reset, and connect with your loved ones.
If you’re interested in more ideas and strategies for restoring the balance, check out these resources:
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| Bryan Goodwin, CEO, McREL International |
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| Help us learn if your students will benefit from adopting the evidence-based early literacy program Reading Horizons Discovery® (RHD)
We are seeking district and school partners who are interested in implementing RHD to discover the program’s impact on students’ reading & comprehension skills.
The study will begin with K–2 classroom teachers in Fall 2022 and will conclude in Spring 2023. Participating schools will receive full access to RHD for the study year at no cost, in addition to:
- access to a district- and/or school-specific dashboard that can be used to inform your data-driven instructional and assessment processes.
- professional learning and coaching support throughout the year.
- a suite of digital tools, professional development, and other benefits, adding to a total per school monetary value of $25,000.
If you’re interested in participating, you can complete our brief interest form.
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| Supporting Networked Improvement Communities
Problem, meet solution! Our friends at REL Pacific present this introduction to the networked improvement community, or NIC, a specific type of professional learning community that uses scientifically tested methods of collaboration to tackle a shared problem of practice.
NICs stand out for their tight focus on achieving a particular outcome. They have four defining characteristics:
- focused on a well-specified aim
- guided by a deep understanding of the problem, the system that produces it, and a theory of improvement relevant to it
- disciplined by the rigor of improvement science
- coordinated to accelerate the development, testing, and refinement of interventions and their effective integration into practice across varied educational contexts
The post is a great place to start when learning about NICs and also links out to NIC-related resources from other members of the Regional Educational Laboratory network.
Many schools and districts are using NICs to address complex problems, bringing together groups of educators to collaboratively explore, learn, discuss, and develop actions for improvement. Check out these new resources from our colleagues at REL Pacific for insights on key components and considerations for effective NICs.
July 25 Webinar: Power and Positioning in Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships: Developing a Theory of Practice Improvement
Who is invited to join a NIC and how they are engaged in the work can impact a NIC’s overall success, as can the development of a sound theory of practice improvement. REL Pacific invites you to learn more about establishing a theory of practice improvement and considerations for attending to issues of power and positioning within a NIC. Register now (4 p.m. Eastern; 1 p.m. Pacific; 10 a.m. Hawaii).
Blogpost: Using Networked Improvement Communities to Address Problems of Practice
How are NICs structured, and what are their primary characteristics? This post gives an overview of NICs and provides a list of additional resources to explore and learn more.
Blogpost:Developing a “Theory of Practice Improvement” to Implement NICs
Developing a theory of practice improvement can help a NIC be clear about its aim, its goals, and the key factors or conditions the NIC believes need to change in order to achieve those goals. This post looks at the elements of developing this theory and other key components of implementing a NIC.
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| Colorado Bright Spots for Educator Retention
There is no single solution for addressing educator shortages. To help identify various strategies to tackle this challenge, the Colorado Department of Education partnered with the Region 12 Comprehensive Center (R12CC, operated by McREL) to explore strategies used by Colorado districts and schools with low turnover. Using geographic information system (GIS) mapping technology, the R12CC identified bright spot schools that serve larger populations of high-needs students—students of color or who qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch programs. Five schools from three districts agreed to share insights, lessons learned, and advice to implement similar strategies.
Bright Spot Story Map:Addressing Educator Workforce Shortages
R12CC interviewed representatives from three districts and five schools to learn about strategies they use to recruit and retain teachers. Their responses are compiled in this bright spot story map that may be helpful to other districts and schools considering implementing similar programs and practices.
Report:Addressing Educator Workforce Shortages: Colorado Bright Spots
The bright spot story map is based on this November 2021 report of schools and districts with low teacher turnover. This report details the strategies they use to recruit, onboard, retain, and advance teachers to address teacher shortage.
Resources:GIS Map Exploration and Application Resources
These resources visually connect Colorado educator workforce data, while giving valuable insights into district educator shortages, educator preparation program enrollment and completion, district retention and attrition, and other contextual demographic and economic data.
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| The Pursuit of Multiple Educational Outcomes
What makes for “good” teaching? Two researchers from the University of Maryland and Brown University found there was often a tradeoff between “good teaching” where students learn and “good teaching” where students were engaged. According to their report, teaching practices that improve test scores are often less successful at improving student engagement. What would it take to achieve both dimensions of good teaching where students learn and are engaged? They explain it requires a combination of instructional, emotional, and organizational supports, likely with an emphasis on active classroom activities and proactive routines and procedures.
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| Despite the Challenges, Superintendents Feel Positive and Valued
Earlier this year, 291 district leaders, including 222 superintendents, completed a survey from the American School District Panel (ASDP) by the Rand Corporation. Despite the challenges with student enrollment and attendance, and staffing shortages, superintendents reported high rates of job satisfaction. EdWeek summarized key takeaways, including planned turnover being consistent with actual turnover from last year, job stress being the most-cited reason for leaving, positive implications for school leadership, and despite the positivity, there are still valid long-term concerns. Among several recommendations to continue supporting superintendents, the ASDP recommends developing strong, well-integrated senior teams for distributed leadership and implementing balanced work hours.
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| Common abbreviations: institutions of higher education (IHEs); local education agencies (LEAs); and state education agencies (SEAs).
McREL can be a strategic thought partner for your organization, helping you develop and submit a high-quality application. We can also often serve as your grant’s external evaluator.Contact us for more information about our grant partnership services.
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| Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Grants
The ITEST program, through a research and development lens, aims to advance equitable and inclusive integration of technology in the learning and teaching of STEM for all students from PreK–12. Thus, proposed projects are expected to: (1) engage students in technology-rich learning to develop disciplinary and/or transdisciplinary STEM content knowledge, including skills in data literacy and evidence-based decision-making and reasoning; (2) prioritize full inclusion of underrepresented and/or underserved groups, including but not limited to Blacks/African Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, neurodiverse students, and women in the STEM and information and communication technologies (ICT) workforce; (3) motivate students to pursue appropriate education pathways to technology-rich careers; and (4) leverage strategic and community partnerships to expand education pathways in communities through public and private partnerships and collaborations. Three types of projects are supported by ITEST funding: (1) Exploring Theory and Design Principles; (2) Developing and Testing Innovations; and (3) Scaling, Expanding, and Iterating Innovations. These grants can range up to $5M, but award amounts are determined by the category in which you plan to apply—refer to the solicitation for these. Applications are due August 12, 2022. Learn more here.
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| Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC) Training Grants
The SCC program seeks to (1) increase the capacity and responsiveness of community colleges to address identified equity gaps, and (2) rapidly meet employers’ skill development needs in in-demand industries and career pathways, in addition to the skill development needs of underserved and underrepresented workers. Ultimately, these efforts will yield sustainable systems-level changes in education and training through collaboration between community colleges, employers, and the public workforce development system that align education and training, work experiences, and industry-recognized credentials that lead to career growth. These grants can range from $1–5M. A second round of applications are due October 14, 2022. Learn more here.
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As a growing organization, we’re expanding our team of educators, researchers, project managers, and communicators to provide supports and services to more schools, districts, and education agencies. Interested in joining our team? Check out these current openings on the McREL careers page:
- Communications Specialist
- Chief Research and Evaluation Officer
- Mixed Methods Research Associate
- Technical Assistance Consultant
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Learn more about how our coaching, professional learning, and analysis services can help your school or system reach its goals.
Contact us today to start a conversation with our development team.
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4601 DTC Blvd., Suite 500
Denver, CO 80237
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