Posts by Tom Vander Ark
Charter Supporter Gather in Atlanta (of all places)
Georgia is an ironic place to be holding the national charter school conference given the recent state supreme court ruling that the Georgia Charter Schools Commission was unconstitutional.
Good Work: Love and Hope
Reforms of the late 90s seem quaint compared to challenges that school districts face today. The fiscal crisis adds a whole new layer of challenge to American education leadership.
Startup Engines: ImagineK12 & General Assembly
ImagineK12, a Bay Area edu-incubator, just picked their first cohort of 10 startup. General Assembly is very cool NYC incubator.
19 NextGen Learning Grants
Next Generation Learning Challenges announced $7 million in grants to 19 innovative, technology-enabled programs that are helping students master middle grade math and literacy. Ian Quillen, EdWeek summarized the ask: “Proposals that used technology to address teaching 7th and 9th grade Common Core State Standards material. Universities took…
10 Things a Good Biz Article on K12 Would Include
What to do when Business Week is clueless on the business of education? Here's 10 topics that should have outlined their story on K12, the $500m leader in online learning.
Digital Learning with Innovators
Last night I led a Q & A session with two digital learning innovators, Shantanu Sinha of Kahn Academy and John Danner of Rocketship at UW. Both are paving the way for innovation in the market and turning around great results.
San Francisco Startup Weekend
I spent my weekend at the San Francisco Startup Weekend with execs from Facebook, Google and Founder Institute to judge 13 teams that spent Sunday finalizing a venture pitch and the chance to make a difference.
Coherence = f(Sustained Leadership)
As discussed with Summit Prep, the level of coherence—the degree to which every aspect of the school works together for students and teachers—is very high.
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) May Be the Most Important Advocacy Group in America
Education is the issue that will most determine this country's role in the world and DFER is assisting state by state that will determine the quality of education in America.
Creating Cohorts in a Blended World
Cohorts in traditonal schooling are birthday based but creating cohorts in a blended world will look very different. Outlined at five innovative strategies for combining the benefits of customized learning and peer cohorts.