This video will change LA, then USA

Parent Revolution offers a simple powerful promise—get 51% of parents to sign up and in 3 years you get a transformed school. Wow, that’s a big idea. Easier said than done and only possible:
• in states where parents can vote to convert a school to charter (I’m trying to figure out how many that is) and/or
• where there is a quality charter operator with funding to expand, no charter cap, and a district, city, university, or state willing to authorize
Where there is capacity and opportunity to fulfill this promise it’s a big idea, a very big idea, one that will change the educational landscape. LA Charter operators Green Dot and Alliance are supporting the effort. These operators routinely increase the college completion rate of a neighborhood by a factor of 10, from 5-6% to 50-60%.
It’s worth noting the impossibly difficult conditions under which these networks operate: 90% students in/near poverty, expensive real estate with no facilities funding, and high labor costs, and half the funding of NY/CT/NJ.
Watch the video—it is a wonderfully disruptive idea. This video will change LA, then the USA.
Watch Parent Revolution on YouTube.

Tom Vander Ark

Tom Vander Ark is the CEO of Getting Smart. He has written or co-authored more than 50 books and papers including Getting Smart, Smart Cities, Smart Parents, Better Together, The Power of Place and Difference Making. He served as a public school superintendent and the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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1 Comment

Nicolas S.
2/20/2010

What is WalMart's interest in these efforts to carry out "revolutions" at public schools? I'm just why they would donate money to this cause.

Replies

Tom Vander Ark
2/20/2010

You may be referring to the Walton Family Foundation, a leading sponsor of charter schools nationally. The late John Walton was a leader in school choice and the family continues to support KIPP, YES, and other high quality networks. They also support state charter school associations in an effort to build sector quality.

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