Links of Interest |
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Policy Organizations Links
Educational Policy
www.educationalpolicy.org
Mission: To expand educational opportunity for low-income and other
historically-underrepresented students through high-level research and
analysis. By providing educational leaders and policymakers with the
information required to make prudent programmatic and policy decisions,
we believe that the doors of opportunity can be further opened for all
students, resulting in an increase in the number of students prepared
for, enrolled in, and completing postsecondary education.
The Wallace Foundation
www.wallacefoundation.org
Mission: Our mission is to enable institutions to expand learning and
enrichment opportunities for all people. We do this by supporting and
sharing effective ideas and practices. To achieve our mission, we have
three objectives: strengthen education leadership to improve student
achievement, improve after-school learning opportunities, and build
appreciation and demand for the arts.
Postsecondary Education
www.postsecondary.org
Mission: This research letter is founded on two fundamental beliefs.
First, sound public social policy requires accurate, current,
independent, and focused information on the human condition. Second,
education is essential to the development of human potential and
resources for both private and public benefit. Therefore, the purpose of
this research letter is to inform those who formulate, fund, and
administer public policy and programs about the condition of and
influences that affect postsecondary education opportunity for all
Americans.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/OurWork/Education.aspx
Mission: Our education investments have two primary aims: to support
initiatives that give more low-income parents the opportunity to send
their children to high quality schools that produce strong results, and
to help families get needed services and support through stronger
connections between schools and communities.
National Education Association
http://www.nea.org/index.html
Mission: Our mission is to advocate for education professionals and to
unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public
education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and
interdependent world.
Education Consumers Foundation
http://www.education-consumers.org
Mission: Our core mission is to be a trustworthy source of education
research and policy analysis for education’s consumers. We have a proven
record of commitment to the interests of consumers. We are watchdogs
that bark. Whether you are a parent who is trying to understand
the style of teaching used in your child’s classroom or a legislator who
is looking for a fair-minded assessment of a proposed remedial education
program, we can point you to useful, consumer-friendly information. If
your question can better be answered by experts outside our Network, we
will help you find a resource that is sympathetic to your interests.
Educational Needs Index
http://www.educationalneedsindex.com/
Mission: The Education Needs Index (ENI) is a county-level study of
educational, economic, and population pressures that influence
educational policy and planning at local, regional, and state levels.
The index introduces an econometric model that assesses conditions and
trends for all 3,140 U.S. counties or their equivalents and allows peer
comparisons across a variety of indicators. The ENI offers a fresh
opportunity and innovative approach to better understand the existing
data and public policy challenges that face all states and their
respective counties.
The Education Trust
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust
Mission: The Education Trust works for the high academic achievement of
all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten through college, and
forever closing the achievement gaps that separate low-income students
and students of color from other youth. Our basic tenet is this — All
children will learn at high levels when they are taught to high levels.
RAND Corporation
http://www.rand.org/research_areas/education/
Mission: RAND researchers have policy and hands-on experience in
education and training. Research includes K-12 assessment and
accountability, school reform, teachers and teaching, higher education,
military education and training, worker training, and substance-abuse
prevention in schools.
The National Center for Educational Accountability
http://www.just4kids.org/en/
Mission: The National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA) is a
non-profit, non-partisan organization and the national sponsor of Just
for the Kids (JFTK). Our goal is to support efforts to reach excellence
in education - to raise academic expectations and to promote the
practices that will help more students reach college/career readiness.
We have been working over the last decade to build a continuous cycle
for improvement based on an honest and diligent focus on student
performance (Inform), the careful examination of effective practices of
proven high-performers (Inspire), and using what is learned to support
targeted improvement planning and implementation (Improve).
Education Week
http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html
Mission: Our primary mission is to help raise the level of awareness and
understanding among professionals and the public of important issues in
American education. We cover local, state, and national news and issues
from preschool through the 12th grade.
Achieve.org
http://www.achieve.org
Over the past decade, states have led the national movement to raise
standards, improve teaching and learning, and hold schools more
accountable. Standards are in place in every state, but far too
many young people leave our schools today without the skills they need
to compete in college or the workplace. Achieve’s goal is to help
every state close the expectations gap so that all students graduate
ready for success.
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Literacy Links
National Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov/
Mission: The National Institute for Literacy, a federal agency, provides
leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading
instruction for children, youth, and adults. In consultation with the
U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, the
Institute serves as a national resource on current, comprehensive
literacy research, practice, and policy.
The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance
http://www.thencbla.org/
Mission: The main goal of the NCBLA is to make issues related to young
people’s literacy, literature, and libraries an ongoing priority on our
national agenda. The NCBLA acts as a freelance nonpartisan advocate
creating and developing special projects and events that promote
literacy, literature, and libraries and educate the public about
practical literacy solutions.
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Arts &
Entertainment Links
Americans for the Arts
http://www.artsusa.org/
Mission: Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit
organization for advancing the arts in America. With 45 years of
service, we are dedicated to representing and serving local communities
and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and
appreciate all forms of the arts. With offices in Washington, DC and New
York, and more than 5,000 organizational and individual members and
stakeholders across the country, we are focused on three primary goals:
foster an environment in which the arts can thrive and contribute to the
creation of more livable communities, generate more public- and
private-sector resources for the arts and arts education, and build
individual appreciation of the value of the arts.
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Higher Education Links
The College Board
http://www.collegeboard.com/splash/
Mission: The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association
whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.
Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,200 schools,
colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year,
the College Board serves seven million students and their parents,
23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and
services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid,
enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are
the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®).
The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and
equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs,
services, activities, and concerns.
Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/
Mission: Welcome to Inside Higher Ed, the online source for news,
opinion and jobs for all of higher education. Whether you’re an adjunct
or a vice president, a grad student or an eminence grise, we’ve got what
you need to thrive in your job or find a better one: breaking news and
feature stories, provocative daily commentary, areas for comment on
every article, practical career columns, and a powerful suite of tools
to help higher education professionals get jobs and colleges identify
and hire employees. Inside Higher Ed was founded in 2004 by three
executives with decades of expertise in higher education journalism and
recruitment. We believed that higher education was evolving quickly and
radically, and that the time was right for new models of providing
information and career services for professionals in academe.
The National Information Center for Higher Education
Policymaking and Analysis
http://www.higheredinfo.org/
Mission: The mission of the National Information Center for Higher
Education Policymaking and Analysis is to provide state policymakers and
analysts timely and accurate data and information that are useful in
making sound higher education policy decisions. Through the work of a
small staff and the operation of a website, the Information Center will
be the only comprehensive "one-stop-shop" for state-level higher
education data and information, and a leader in coordinating activities
and securing funds for the collection of missing data and information
that are crucial for higher education policy analysis.
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
http://www.highereducation.org/
Mission: The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
promotes public policies that enhance Americans' opportunities to pursue
and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school. As
an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the National Center
prepares action-oriented analyses of pressing policy issues facing the
states and the nation regarding opportunity and achievement in higher
education-including two- and four-year, public and private, for-profit
and nonprofit institutions. The National Center communicates performance
results and key findings to the public, to civic, business and higher
education leaders, and to state and federal leaders who are poised to
improve higher education policy.
Measuring Up: The National Report Card on Higher Education
http://measuringup.highereducation.org/
Mission: Measuring Up 2006 consists of the national report card for
higher education and fifty state report cards. Its purpose is to provide
the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve
postsecondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2006 is the fourth
in a series of biennial report cards.
The National Association of State Universities and
Land-Grant Colleges
http://www.nasulgc.org
Mission: NASULGC is dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery and
engagement. The association’s overriding mission is to support
high-quality public higher education and its member institutions as they
perform their teaching, research, and public service roles. NASULGC
provides a forum for the discussion and development of policies
affecting higher education and the public interest. NASULGC’s agenda
includes projects in the areas of accountability (including a Voluntary
System of Accountability or VSA); global competitiveness (including the
education of science and math teachers); internationalization of
university campuses (including establishing a national study abroad
program); reauthorization of the Farm Bill (including NASULGC’s
CREATE-21 proposal); and much more.
The University of Tennessee System
http://www.tennessee.edu/
Mission: The University of Tennessee is at the center of Tennessee's
future and is uniquely positioned to improve the lives of Tennessee's
citizens every day. Through our statewide network, UT is the leading
provider of education, research, and economic development, and our
impact drives the state's economic, intellectual, social, and cultural
advancements.
Tennessee Higher Education Commission
http://www.state.tn.us/thec/
Mission: The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) was created in
1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly (TCA 49-7-202) for the purpose of
coordinating and supporting the efforts of post-secondary institutions
in the State of Tennessee. One of its statutory requirements is to
create a master plan for the development of public higher education in
Tennessee. The mission for Tennessee's twenty-first century system of
higher education is to: elevate the overall educational attainment of
citizens in the State through increased accessibility to mission-focused
institutions, which deliver educational services on campus, as well as
through a planned network of off-campus instruction, and prepare
citizens responsibly for success in the new century by providing high
quality teaching and research in an environment that serves the needs of
its consumers.
Tennessee Board of Regents
http://www.tbr.state.tn.us/
Mission: The board is responsible for assuring lay and public direction
in postsecondary education. The purpose of the board is to govern and
manage the system. It is empowered to employ the system chancellor and
define his or her duties; select and employ presidents of the
institutions; confer tenure and approve promotions in rank of system
faculty; prescribe curricula and requirements for diplomas and degrees;
approve the operating and capital budgets of each institution and
otherwise set policies for their fiscal affairs; establish policies and
regulations regarding the campus life of the institutions; and assume
general responsibility for the operations of the institutions while
delegating specifically to the presidents such powers and duties as are
necessary and appropriate for the efficient administration of their
respective institutions and programs.
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State Government Links
Tennessee Department of Education
http://www.tennessee.gov/education/
Mission: Welcome to the Tennessee Department of Education. A quality
education is the fundamental right of every child in Tennessee. The
department provides many services, and it is our responsibility to
ensure equal, safe, and quality learning opportunities for all students,
pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Therefore, our mission is to help
teachers teach and children learn.
Tennessee State Board of Education
http://www.state.tn.us/sbe/
Mission: The State Board of Education is the governing and policy making
body for the Tennessee system of public elementary and secondary
education. Its work touches all facets of education from accountability
and evaluation to curriculum and teacher education.
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National
Government Links
U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/index.html
Mission: ED was created in 1980 by combining offices from several
federal agencies. ED's mission is to promote student achievement and
preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational
excellence and ensuring equal access. ED's 4,500 employees and $71.5
billion budget are dedicated to establishing policies on federal
financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring
those funds, collecting data on America's schools and disseminating
research, focusing national attention on key educational issues,
prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.
The Institute of Education Sciences
http://ies.ed.gov/
Mission: The Education
Sciences Reform Act of 2002 established the Institute of Education
Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education. IES brings
rigorous and relevant research, evaluation and statistics to our
nation's education system.
The National Center for Education Research
http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/
Mission: The National Center for Education Research (NCER) supports
rigorous research that addresses the nation’s most pressing education
needs, from early childhood to adult education.
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional
Assistance
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/
Mission: The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional
Assistance (NCEE) conducts unbiased large-scale evaluations of education
programs and practices supported by federal funds, such as Reading First
and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The National Center for Special Education Research
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/
Mission: The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)
sponsors a comprehensive program of special education research designed
to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers and
children with disabilities.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only
nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's
students know and can do in various subject areas. Assessments are
conducted periodically in
mathematics,
reading,
science,
writing, the
arts, civics,
economics,
geography, and
U.S. history. For the most recent results of assessments, visit the
Nation's Report Card website.
The National Center for Education Statistics
http://nces.ed.gov/
Mission: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), located
within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education
Sciences, is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing
data related to education.
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Benefit-Cost Links
Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education at Teachers
College, Columbia University
http://www.cbcse.org/
Mission: The Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education (CBCSE)
conducts research on the benefits and costs of alternative educational
policies and interventions. Education is a social investment that
entails both costs and outcomes. Too often assessments of educational
alternatives either ignore their costs or calculate them in
inappropriate ways. Similarly, benefits of education are often
viewed too narrowly or measured inappropriately. The CBCSE brings
together scholarship on both benefits and costs so that the full value
of investments in education can be evaluated, and the most productive
use of resources can be chosen. The Center also undertakes
cost-effectiveness studies to ascertain the types of educational
interventions that will produce educational outcomes at least cost.
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Early Childhood Education Links
National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
Mission: The National Institute for Early Education Research supports
early childhood education initiatives by providing objective,
nonpartisan information based on research. The goal of NIEER is to
produce and communicate the knowledge base required to ensure that every
American child can receive a good education at ages three and four. The
Institute seeks to provide policy makers with timely information
addressing the practical problems they face. The Institute offers
independent research-based advice and technical assistance to four
primary groups: policy makers, journalists, researchers, and educators.
Pre-K Now
http://www.preknow.org/
Mission: To collaborate with advocates and policymakers to lead a
movement for high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all three and
four year olds. The goal of Pre-K Now is to advance high-quality
pre-kindergarten programs for all children. We pursue this goal by
providing financial and technical assistance to advocates and other
leaders in targeted states to create and fund new public
pre-kindergarten programs or to improve the quality of and access to
existing programs, strengthening the capacity and skills of early
childhood advocates and state leaders to secure policy changes and
funding, and waging a targeted campaign to educate and mobilize key
sectors of the public and policymakers at the state and national level
about the severity of the American school readiness problem and the
potential that high-quality pre-kindergarten for all has for addressing
the problem and boosting K-12 student achievement for all children.
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Economic
Development Links
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
http://www.uschamber.com/issues/index/education/default.htm?n=tb
Mission: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is working to ensure that
businesses have access—today and tomorrow—to an educated and skilled
workforce.
Committee for Economic Development.
http://www.ced.org/projects/educ.shtml
Mission: Throughout its 65-year history, the Committee for Economic
Development has addressed national priorities that promote sustained
economic growth and development to benefit all Americans. These
activities have quite literally helped shape the future on issues
ranging from the Marshall Plan in the late 1940s, to education reform in
the past two decades, and campaign finance reform since 2000. CED's
Trustees not only determine what those priorities should be; but also
take the time to participate in the subcommittees which produce the
policy statements containing CED's findings and recommendations.
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Workforce & Employment Links
National Association of Colleges and Employers
http://www.naceweb.org/
Mission: To facilitate the employment of the college educated.
Established in 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers
(NACE) is the leading source of information on the employment of the
college educated. The professional association connects more than 5,200
college career services professionals at nearly 2,000 college and
universities nationwide, and more than 3,000 HR/staffing professionals
focused on college relations and recruiting.
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Educational Testing Links
ACT
www.act.org
Mission: ACT is an independent, not-for-profit organization that
provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and
program management services in the broad areas of
education and
workforce development. Each year, we serve millions of people in
elementary and secondary schools, colleges, professional associations,
businesses, and government agencies, nationally and internationally. ACT
has offices across
the United States and throughout the world.
Educational Testing Service
www.ets.org
Mission: To advance quality and equity in education by providing fair
and valid assessments, research, and related services. Our products and
services measure knowledge and skills, promote learning and educational
performance, and support education and professional development for all
people worldwide.
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International Links
International Association for the Evaluation of
Educational Achievement
http://www.iea.nl/
Mission: The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational
Achievement (IEA) is an independent, international cooperative of
national research institutions and governmental research agencies.
Through its comparative research and assessment projects, IEA aims to
provide international benchmarks that may assist policy-makers in
identifying the comparative strength and weaknesses of their educational
systems, provide high-quality data that will increase policy-makers’
understanding of key school- and non-school-based factors that influence
teaching and learning provide high-quality data which will serve as a
resource for identifying areas of concern and action, and for preparing
and evaluating educational reforms develop and improve educational
systems’ capacity to engage in national strategies for educational
monitoring and improvement, and contribute to development of the
world-wide community of researchers in educational evaluation.
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Teaching
Links
The Teacher Center
http://www.theteachercenter.org/
Mission: The SREB-State Teacher Center is a student services portal
connecting educational agencies and colleges and universities in the 16
SREB states. SREB understands the challenges current and future
educators face in obtaining and maintaining your teaching credentials
while balancing work, family and life's other responsibilities. We have
assembled resources to help meet your unique needs in the Teacher
Center.
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Tennessee
Links
Knoxville Chamber
http://www.knoxvillechamber.com/
Mission: The formal mission of the Chamber is: Driving Regional Economic
Prosperity.
What To Do For Schools
http://www.knoxvillechamber.com/todolist
Mission: This document lists programs and organizations that provide
opportunities to support education and workforce development initiatives
in Knox County. This list will grow and change as more and more
volunteers take part in our schools, and we encourage recommendations
and suggestions about how this list should adapt over time.
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