During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is on Education Policy Issues.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

1. What Does it Mean to ‘Overspend’ on Teacher Salaries?

Is it really possible for a district to spend too much money on teachers? Higher pay sows benefits beyond teachers’ earnings. Read more.

2. A Deeper Dive Into the ‘Overspending’ on Teacher Salaries

Higher teacher salaries don’t just have an impact on students from wealthier homes, explains a researcher in response to readers’ questions. Read more.

3. What the Teacher and Classified-Staff Strike in Sacramento Means for the Country

If school district leaders changed their mindset about the concept of sharing power, students would be among the beneficiaries. Read more.

4. Let’s Take a Holistic Approach to Judging Schools

Parents wouldn’t judge their kids based on a single factor. So, says Ron Berger of EL Education, why must schools use a lone test score? Read more.

5. Let’s Dump the Obsession With Standardized Testing

Digital portfolios and student, faculty, and family surveys to gauge school culture are more robust ways to measure school effectiveness. Read more.

6. It’s Time to Debunk the Myths About Standardized Tests

Professional learning communities can help crack the code to measuring a student’s success. Read more.

7. How Can You Measure a School’s Success? It’s Not Just Through Test Scores

Judge schools on how well they meet the needs of students, staff, and the community, say educators. Read more.

8. The Past and Future of Education Research

Studies on student motivation, project-based learning, the power of relationships, and collective efficacy are highlighted by contributors. Read more.

9. What Are the Most Important Education Research Findings in the Past 10 Years?

Impacts of racism in education, the role of teachers’ mindsets, and the value of highlighting the assets of ELLs are significant findings. Read more.

10. Make Teacher Prep Practical, Not Theoretical

Ready teachers for the rigors of the classroom—how to plan lessons, differentiate instruction, and all the elements of educating students. Read more.

More Q&A posts about education policy issues:

• Teacher Prep Should Include Classroom-Culture Training
• Are Teacher-Prep Programs Out of Touch?
• Teachers Share What They Want Central Offices & Public Officials to Hear
• ‘There’s a Lot of Potential Learning From Teachers Waiting to Happen’
• What Education Researchers Can Learn From Teachers
• ‘The Silence of Educators Is Dangerous’
• Educators Must Have a ‘Plan of Action’ to Confront Our Challenges
• ‘If They’re Learning, I Don’t Care What They’re Wearing’
• The Role of Student-Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations
• Ways to Improve State Standardized Tests
• Central Offices Shouldn’t Be ‘Directive Arms’
• ‘Authoritarian-Style Mandates’ From Central Offices Don’t Work
• Ways to Build Partnerships Between Teachers & Researchers
• No Shortage of Education Buzzwords
• We Could Live Without These Education Buzzwords
• ‘Dynamic Teachers’ Unions Are Key to Assuring a World-Class Education’
• Teachers’ Unions ‘Must Claim the Mantle of Educational Leadership’
• ‘Ethnic-Studies Courses Benefit All Students’
• Policymakers Should ‘Treat Teachers Like Equals’
• Policymakers Need to Know There Are No ‘Easy Fixes’ in Education
• ‘The Divide Between Policymakers & Educators Can Be Narrowed by Dialogue’
• Policymakers Need to ‘Spend More Time Listening to Educators’
• The Most Exciting Things Happening in Education Are ...
• ‘It’s an Exciting Time to Be an Educator’
• Student & Family Engagement Is Exciting
• There Is ‘Hope That ESSA Will Bring Positive Change to Classrooms’
• Equity for Rural Schools Is ‘Often Ignored’
• Rural Schools May Be the ‘Epicenters’ of Their Towns
• It’s About ‘Quality, Not Quantity, of School Time’
• To Extend the School Day or Not?
• Community Schools ‘Transform the Lives of Children and Families’
• New Education Ideas Must Not Be ‘Just for the Sake of Change’
• Dos & Don’ts of Implementing New Ideas in Education
• Looking Into Education’s Crystal Ball
• What Teaching in the Year 2047 Might Look Like
• ‘Writing a Letter Isn’t Enough’ to Affect Ed. Policy
• Policy Decisions Must Be ‘Done With’ Teachers, Not ‘Done to’ Them
• Response: Teacher Evaluations Need to ‘Support, Not Sort’
• Using Teacher Evaluations ‘to Promote Growth’
• ‘Getting What You Pay for’ in Teacher Evaluations
• The Teachers of Color ‘Disappearance Crisis’
• ‘Education Suffers’ Without More Teachers of Color
• Teachers of Color Can ‘Broaden Student Perspectives’
• The Value of ‘Small Learning Communities’
• ‘Teachers Don’t Leave High-Poverty Urban Districts; They Are Exiled’
• ‘Treating Teachers as Professionals’ Is a Step Toward Reducing Attrition
• Teachers Stay Because ‘They Made a Choice to Serve’
• Educators Stay Because They ‘Tap Into Moral Dimension of Teaching’
• Ways to Reduce Teacher Attrition in High-Poverty Schools
• Building ‘Political Will’ to Retain Teachers in High-Need Schools
• Reducing Attrition in Urban Schools ‘by Listening to Our Teachers’
• Race to the Top Has Been a ‘Fiasco’
• Race to the Top Was a ‘Wasted Opportunity’
• ‘Teacherpreneurs Can Lead Reforms': An Interview With Barnett Berry
• Ways to Observe Teachers Without Demoralizing Them
• We Need ‘Fewer John Waynes & More John Deweys’
• Teachers & Superintendents Must ‘Work to Understand Each Other’
• Several Ways to Balance Between District Mandates & Student Needs
• Finding a Balance Between District Mandates & Student Needs—Part Two
• Creating a Culture of Improvement With Peer Assistance & Review (PAR)
• How Peer Assistance Can Improve Teacher Practice
• Standardized-Test Critiques & Potential Alternatives
• Helping Long-Term ELLs & Evaluating ELL Teachers Fairly
• Several Ways to Tell the Difference Between Good & Bad Education Research
• Factors Behind the Success of Ontario’s Schools—Part One
• Hopes for the NEA’s ‘New Action Agenda’
• Reasons for the ‘Downgrade’ in Respect for Teachers
• Factors Behind the Success of Ontario’s Schools—Part Two
• Thoughts on Grade-Level Retention & Social Promotion
• Ways the ‘Next Generation’ of Standardized Tests Should Treat ELLs

Explore other thematic posts:

• It Was Another Busy School Year. What Resonated for You?
• How to Best Address Race and Racism in the Classroom
• Schools Just Let Out, But What Are the Best Ways to Begin the Coming Year?
• Classroom Management Starts With Student Engagement
• Teacher Takeaways From the Pandemic: What’s Worked? What Hasn’t?
• The School Year Has Ended. What Are Some Lessons to Close Out Next Year?
• Student Motivation and Social-Emotional Learning Present Challenges. Here’s How to Help
• How to Challenge Normative Gender Culture to Support All Students
• What Students Like (and Don’t Like) About School
• Technology Is the Tool, Not the Teacher
• How to Make Parent Engagement Meaningful
• Teaching Social Studies Isn’t for the Faint of Heart
• Differentiated Instruction Doesn’t Need to Be a Heavy Lift
• How to Help Students Embrace Reading. Educators Weigh In
• 10 Strategies for Reaching English-Learners