'magnifying glass' photo (c) 2005, Tall Chris - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

I often write about research studies from various fields and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature.

By the way, you might also be interested in My Best Posts On New Research Studies In 2013 and My Best Posts On New Research Studies In 2014 – So Far.

Here are some new useful studies (and related resources):

Better Teachers Receive Worse Student Evaluations is the provocative headline of a Harvard Business Review report on a new study. Since I’m also a big advocate of using student evaluations of teachers and an equally strong believer in their not being used in the formal evaluation process, I was going to pay to get access to it, but then I read this more extensive analysis of the research as the Chronicle of Higher Education. It sounds like its focus is on a more esoteric mathematical critique of how the results are used in colleges instead of broader discussion of the bigger problems behind their use. Nevertheless, I’m still adding this info to The Best Posts On Students Evaluating Classes (And Teachers).

Why Girls Tend to Get Better Grades Than Boys Do is a report in the Atlantic about some new research, and actions taken in response to it. I don’t think it shares anything that most teachers don’t know already, but the actions are interesting — and it can’t hurt to have research to back up what you know if you want to do something about it. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Grading Practices.

Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence
is an impressive — and free — online guide from Harvard.