Elizabeth Combs

When it comes to employee absences and substitute management, do you know what to expect for the upcoming school year? Understanding historical trends can help you prepare, so let’s take a look at select month-to-month data from the 2018-19 school year, published by the Frontline Research & Learning Institute.

The Frontline Research & Learning Institute was founded with one goal: to provide data-driven research, resources and observations to support and advance the educational community. With data from over 7,500 K-12 organizations and millions of users, we want to put these insights directly at our clients’ fingertips — and make them actionable.

Equity is a large topic in education – one that requires not only dialogue, but also data upon which to base that dialogue. Regarding one particular area of equity, over- and under-classification rates, the Institute has covered a great deal of research and data on contributing factors in our Crossing the Line report series. The fourth issue of The Line is also dedicated to the conversation on Equity and Opportunity.

Following on the heels of the first report, the second report, Repairing the Leak, pointed out an additional bias: hiring for “cultural fit” — an often-ill-defined concept that could be masking unconscious bias in teacher hiring.

On October 30, 2018, a group of education and community leaders gathered at Prairie Knights Casino on Standing Rock Reservation, an hour south of Bismarck, North Dakota. One of the most rural states in the union, North Dakota has a population of just 750,000 and a strong and vibrant Native American culture – a perfect backdrop to focus on rural education and equity for all students.

How well are school systems in America measuring up to ESSA’s definition of professional development? Is professional learning “data-driven” and “classroom-focused”? That question is at the heart of Bridging the Gap, a series of reports from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute. Bridging the Gap looks at anonymized data from the professional development experiences of educators across the country and asks, “How close are we to this ideal?”  

Based on a shared belief in collegial discourse, hearing different perspectives and pulling together some of the top expertise in education, The Line was born.