As educators look ahead to the challenges of 2011, it’s worth noting what schools were grappling with in 2010 because many of those issues will continue to make headlines in the months ahead. To give a sense of what was high on readers’ priority lists, edweek.org compiled a list of the top 20 most popular Education Week articles and commentaries of 2010 as shown by number of online page views as of Dec. 29.
An overview of the 50-state “report card” in Education Week’s 14th annual Quality Counts issue tops the list, followed by a story on the release of the first public draft of grade-by-grade common-core standards. Reading strategies, response to intervention, federal grants for education innovation, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and teacher pay and evaluation issues are among the other topics making the list.
Education Week bloggers looked back on the year and compiled their top blog posts and topics of 2010. View these year-in-review posts.
Take a look at what other readers saw as the most interesting stories of the year, and catch up on news you may have missed in 2010. Keep up with these and many other topics in Education Week throughout the new year.
1. State of the States: Holding All States to High Standards
The 14th edition of Education Week‘s Quality Counts continues the report’s tradition of tracking key education indicators and grading the states on their policy efforts and outcomes. (January 14, 2010)
2. Draft Common Standards Elicit Kudos and Criticism
The draft tries to describe the grade-by-grade skills and knowledge students need in English and math to thrive after high school. (March 10, 2010)
3. Coaching of Teachers Found to Boost Student Reading
A study of the Literacy Collaborative approach to instruction finds that putting reading coaches in schools can yield strong gains. (May 4, 2010)
4. Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers
A practice usually associated with younger students is seen as having benefits for adolescents. (January 4, 2010)
5. RTI Said to Pay Off in Gains for English-Learners
One district’s use of “response to intervention” with students learning English has helped increase test scores. (January 22, 2010)
Commentary
6. Learning Teams and the Future of Teaching
Findings from a new study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future show the importance of collaborative learning in developing 21st-century skills, write commission President Tom Carroll and Program Manager Hanna Doerr. (June 28, 2010)
7. Science Grows on Acquiring New Language
An emerging body of research dispels old myths about language learning and makes a case for multilingualism. (October 22, 2010)
8. 49 Applicants Win i3 Grants
Teach for America, KIPP, and the Success for All Foundation are to get up to $50 million each in the federal program to spur educational innovation. (August 4, 2010)
9. ‘Algebra-for-All’ Push Found to Yield Poor Results
A trickle of studies suggests that in practice, getting students past the algebra hump is difficult and in some cases, didn’t pay off. (February 9, 2010)
Commentary
10. Why I Will Not Teach to the Test
Kelly Gallagher’s biggest classroom priority is for his students to be critical thinkers, not automatons. (November 12, 2010)
Commentary
11. Attention, Gates: Here’s What Makes a Great Teacher
Before shelling out $45 million for research, ask retired teachers like himself the secret of good teaching, writes James D. Starkey. (January 29, 2010)
12. Scholars Identify 5 Keys to Urban School Success
A capstone book from Chicago researchers sees the interplay of those “essential supports” as critical to improving student outcomes. (January 25, 2010)
13. Colo. District Boots Traditional Salary Schedule
Teachers in Harrison School District Two will be paid based on observations of classroom practice and student-achievement results. (May 10, 2010)
14. Administration Unveils ESEA Renewal Blueprint
The plan aims to address complaints that the law’s current version—NCLB—is inflexible and sets the bar too low on academic achievement. (March 13, 2010)
15. Merit Pay Found to Have Little Effect on Achievement
A study finds students whose teachers have a chance to earn bonuses perform no better than those of teachers paid traditionally. (September 21, 2010)
16. Facebook-Driven Newark Overhaul Lurches Forward
Questions about legality and governance surround the plan fueled by $100 million from Facebook’s founder to remake Newark’s schools. (October 1, 2010)
17. Expert Issues Warning on Formative-Assessment Uses
In the hunt for better ways to gauge student learning, a CRESST official says, the tests are at risk of being distorted. (November 10, 2010)
18. Final Version of Common Standards Unveiled
The document outlines what experts decided are the knowledge and skills students should have in mathematics and English/language arts. (June 2, 2010)
19. Reading Programs Yield Few Gains in Comprehension
A federal study of supplemental reading-comprehension programs has found positive effects for only one of the three programs examined. (May 6, 2010)
Commentary
20. Tying Teacher Evaluation to Student Achievement
Susan H. Fuhrman advises policymakers to move carefully in crafting ways to make important decisions about individual teachers. (April 6, 2010)
