Arizona Education Network

Doug Lemov and Deborah Loewenberg Ball, education researchers, identify 49 teaching techniques that contribute to excellent student outcomes. In math, students whose teacher got an above-average M.K.T. (Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching) score learned about three more weeks of material over the course of a year than those whose teacher had an average score, a boost equivalent to that of coming from a middle-class family rather than a working-class one.” In essence, an educator just knowing the subject matter is only one contributor to student learning.

Welcome to AEN’s 2010 Voter Guide: Resources you need for the May 18, 2010 special election!

Here you will find important dates, voter registration links, and a listing of county voter registration and election information.

The Arizona Republic is running a series about the next decade in Arizona called Arizona 2020, A Framework for the Next Decade. The article focuses on six categories: Education, the Budget, the Border, the Government, the Economy and the Vision of AZ. Two of these categories are of great interest to the Arizona Education Network.

Arizona Education Network takes a closer look at the private school tax credit program and its history in order to understand the evolution of the program, the issues that have been raised and the potential changes in the future.

Arizona public school districts are responding to charter school models with innovative programs, and some are offering their own charter schools.

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The recent issue of  The Atlantic looks into the hotly debated question of what makes a good teacher.  Proposals in the new Race to the Top standards will require teacher compensation tied to student performance.  Under this teacher accountability model, identifying teacher excellence will be even more important.  The article points out that; “[s]tates must try to identify great teachers, figure out [...]

New Orleans is now the first major U.S. City with a majority of their students in charter schools (61% of all students in 2009-2010), according to U.S. News & World Report.  The New Orleans public school system was devastated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and needed to be rebuilt from scratch. Since the pre-Katrina New [...]

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AEN members recently participated in a webinar titled “What to Expect: Arizona’s Race to the Top Application,”  presented by Arizona  School Boards Association [ASBA] and the Arizona Association of School Business Officials [AASBO]. The featured speaker was Mesa School District Superintendent Dr. Debra Duvall, who serves as a Special Advisor to Governor Brewer on the Race [...]

It’s time that Arizona elects legislators who will prioritize education, and uphold their Arizona Constitutional oath to fund public education. Click here to learn more about registering to vote. It’s one of the single most important things you can do to ensure the children of Arizona receive a quality education.

The Arizona Education Association is suing to block new rules regarding how teacher contracts are offered and how layoffs are accomplished in Arizona.

Gates Foundation to take a more active role in education.

In the wake of $133 million in state cuts to education, Arizona school districts have opted to place overrides or bonds on the November 3, 2009 ballot. The Arizona Education Network encourages voters to vote “YES” to these overrides or bonds so that these school districts can restore funding back to levels necessary for educating Arizona’s future.

While charter schools like Basis are known for their excelling programs, many other charter schools have not met their promises.

Ready! Set! Go back to school! Your AEN team have a few additional items of academic swag to add to your list; tools you’ll need to be an effective advocate for your child and his/her school community.

A look into how high schools in the Vail, AZ area are replacing traditional textbooks with multi-media sources.

A “How To” Guide For Contacting Legislators: information on writing, emailing and calling your elected officials.

Best Practices – What works? What ideas are out there for improving our schools?
Click this link to read more about top performing schools, effective academic programs, accountability enhancements and what other states and countries are doing to improve their schools.

Educating Arizona: Assessing Our Education System (Birth-Grade 12)
January 2008, Arizona Community Foundation
This report examines Arizona’s student performance and system indicators and concludes with seven suggestions for improving the schools in our state.
Lead with Five: Five Investments to Improve Arizona Education
Rodel Foundation, February 2005
Bridging the Grad Gap: Measuring the Economic Benefits of Educational Attainment in Arizona
Center [...]

State Public School System Ranked Best in the US by 2 Reports
Washington Post, January 8, 2009
Excerpts from article: “A six-year Maryland effort to spend
billions of dollars more on public education has led to major
performance gains that have helped make the state’s schools the best in
the country, according to a pair of independent reports released
yesterday……The MGT [...]

Public School Insights: What is Working in Our Public Schools
Best practice information compiled by the Learning First Alliance, a partnership of education groups from around the United States.
Arizona’s Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day
Recent good news and best practice information from schools around the state.

Teachers, Performance Pay, and Accountability: What Education Should Learn From Other Sectors
Economic Policy Institute, May 2009
Excerpt: “Some school policymakers are promoting a new idea for improving the schools: merit pay plans that would tie teachers’ pay to the scores their students earn on standardized math and reading tests. Advocates of this approach base [...]

By clicking the above link, this section provides a listing of education activists located around the state of Arizona.

The best way to make a difference is to act now! You can follow these links for more information on what you can do and contribute to Arizona’s Education.

List of Arizona School Districts
How to advocate for our schools
Calendar of Events

Lifetime Effects: The HighScope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40 (2005)
Excerpt: This long term study examined the impact of early childhood education on a group of individuals from 1962 through the present day. Excerpt: “From 1962-1967, at ages 3 and 4, the subjects were randomly divided into a program group that received a high-quality [...]

Best Evidence Encyclopedia
Johns Hopkins University School of Education, Website, 2009
Which research programs have been successfully evaluated in valid research? What works in education? The Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE) presents reliable, unbiased reviews of research-proven educational programs to help evaluate academic and structural performance.
CSRQ Center Report on Elementary School CSR Models
This report provides a [...]