Obama Administration Calls for Improved Instructor Evaluations

(Boston, MA) November 23rd, 2011: The classroom has traditionally been a space where teachers evaluate students on their work. Teachers may soon find that paradigm reversed as teacher evaluations gain prominence under new federal regulations.

President Barack Obama's recent revision to the No Child Left Behind education law allows states to avoid depending solely on student test scores to drive educator ratings – if they can prove they have a better way to evaluate them. 

As educators increasingly look to teacher ratings to decide critical issues such as pay, tenure, and awarding teaching licenses, a growing number of states seek evaluation systems that gather input beyond student test scores, including student feedback. 

Moses Brown School, one of many institutions that incorporate teacher evaluations, uses ConnectEDU’s CoursEval to gather student input. CoursEval is a web-based course evaluation system that gathers student feedback to offer improved diagnostic reporting to support institutional goals. 

“Our goal at Moses Brown is to nurture and sustain a culture in which great teaching flourishes, and one way we do that is by providing teachers with meaningful feedback drawn from multiple sources.  Direct student feedback is an essential part of that process,” says Matt Glenndinning, Headmaster at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI.

Stakeholders across the education spectrum note that the student point of view may prove to be more valuable than has previously been realized. And this value travels beyond institutions needing to meet legislative requirements.

Mr. Glenndinning explains: “I find that having an opportunity to reflect on the experience with a particular course or teacher imparts a sense of ownership and responsibility to students.  Students feel that they have a role in shaping their educational environment.”

With CoursEval, students can report in complete anonymity on what drives their success.  This information, in conjunction with other measures, is crucial in expanding student achievement.

To learn more about CoursEval, visit our website.    

ConnectEDU Proudly Sponsors The New England Board of Higher Education Leadership Summit

(Boston, MA) November 9th, 2011 - On Monday, hundreds of New England’s higher education, government and business leaders came together for the New England Works: A New England Leadership Summit on Bridging Higher Education and the Workforce conference, sponsored in part by ConnectEDU. The leaders met to discuss the vital role of higher education in preparing the highly skilled workers that will drive future innovation.

The New England Works Summit examined key questions facing higher education and workforce development in New England and across the nation, such as: How do we fix the gap between supply and demand in the New England labor market? And how can higher education institutions prepare learners for the fast-changing 21st Century economy?

Ted Fischer, ConnectEDU’s President and Chief Operating Officer, kicked off the conference as an introductory speaker.

Ted explains, “ConnectEDU’s dedication to engaging education, policy and workforce leaders from around New England to help bridge higher education and the workforce is central to our mission. Our platform is designed to provide learners the tools necessary to close the workforce gap. With products like AlumniConnect, StudentRecruit and TalentConnect, we can ensure that our postsecondary graduates are career ready for the jobs of the New England innovation economy.”

ConnectEDU teamed up with Massachusetts state agencies to create a statewide college and career planning portal focused on enabling student success. YourPlanForCollege.org, powered by ConnectEDU technologies, launched this fall in over 130 high schools across Massachusetts. Members of the YourPlanForCollege team attended the conference to take part in the important discussion.

“We’re excited to be part of the thought leadership that came together on this critical topic. YourPlanForCollege is supporting students in high schools across the Commonwealth as they develop skills directly correlated to meaningful employment. –Marie DeMego, State Director of YourPlanForCollege.

To read more about how ConnectEDU bridges the gap between education and the workforce, visit http://www.connectedu.com/NEBHE.