"Deeper learning" continues to show higher high school graduation rates - The Hechinger Report

http://hechingerreport.org/deeperlearningstudy/
I don't know exactly what "deeper learning" is, and it sounds like this author isn't sure how it's special, either. But some research by AIR suggests that maybe "deeper learning" schools are getting some better results. There's a possibility that the results they're seeing are caused by confounding variables, but I think one thing is likely: "deeper learning" is well-poised to be a new buzzword in education, even though most people using it won't know what makes it special.

Growth mindset doesn’t promise pupils the world

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/growth-mindset-doesnt-promise-pupils-world
I really like that Carol Dweck is working to keep the "growth mindset" train on its rails. In many of the references I've heard to growth mindset, the message was simple: If kids can believe they can get better at something, then that goes a long way towards it happening. So make kids believe they can achieve anything, because that's how growth mindset works. Not so simple, says Dweck. We really need to be honest with students about the work involved in reaching goals, inform them about the pathways that might get them there, and avoid filling them with false hope.

TRU Math Suite

http://map.mathshell.org/trumath.php
The "Teaching for Robust Understanding" (TRU) framework was designed by a Schoenfeld-led group at Berkley and Michigan State. Its purpose is to shape the ways in which classroom environments are structured, as outlined by 5 dimensions: (1) the content, (2) cognitive demand, (3) equitable access to content, (4) agency, authority, and identity, and (5) uses of assessment.

CU-Boulder fellowship seeks to tackle public issues with research

http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_29657395/cu-boulder-fellowship-seeks-tackle-public-issues-research
It's great to see Ben Kirshner and others take this on. I wish it went one step further, though: Instead of supporting grad students to work beyond academic journals, I wish it also supported junior faculty. They're the ones with the most pressure to publish, and in the 6-7 years it takes them to earn tenure they can develop habits about publishing that are difficult to reverse.

Why Education Research Has So Little Impact on Practice: The System Effect

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2016/03/why_education_research_has_so_little_impact_on_practice_the_system_effect.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-TW
There are more reasons for why education research seems to have little impact in the United States, but I believe Marc Tucker is right when he says there's a lack of system-level thinking in our research.

Schools Need Introverted Teachers, But Avoiding Burnout a Challenge

http://neatoday.org/2016/02/04/introverted-teacher/
I very much consider myself to be an introvert, but I was mostly okay during routine school activity. When I taught, as I do now, I kept my social calendar rather light, as I seem to enjoy time to myself for big chunks of each day.

How Many Decimals of Pi Do We Really Need?

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2016/3/16/how-many-decimals-of-pi-do-we-really-need/
Not very many, it turns out. This is a pretty good example of "attending to precision," and why rules for rounding decimals should yield to the context of what's being measured or calculated.