Posts by Tom Vander Ark
The 3×5 Learning Revolution
Twenty years after technology began transforming every other sector, there is finally enough movement on a sufficient number of fronts—15 to be precise—that, despite resilience, everything will change.  New and better learning options are inevitable, but progress will be uneven by state/country and leadership dependent. The 5 Drivers.
Postcards from 2015
Here’s a couple snapshots of high school a few years from now using currently available tools and a few in development. Â These pictures are student-centric; there are obviously a number of teachers and learning professional involved in the success of each of these students. Â Comments, suggestions, alternatives welcome.
Rodel-Backed Plan Wins in DE
There were lots of people scratching their head about Delaware’s phase one Race to the Top win yesterday. Â It was not a last minute consultant generated application, it was the result of a decade of leadership from the Rodel Foundation–one guy that leveraged a small checkbook and a lot of…
RttT: The Work Ahead
With only two winners (thanks for holding the bar high Arne), there are two different paths to resubmission: 1. Support. FL & LA clearly had the most aggressive plans but got dinged for lack of support. Â They need a little Barb O’Brien (Lt. Gov CO) style barnstorming to build…
Virtual Portfolio Overlay
Virtual courses are quickly becoming an important overlay to portfolio strategy (last post) as Paul Hill pointed out yesterday at Yale Edu Leaders Conference. Virtual schools offer full school and course alternatives. Â In the next year I think we’ll get to the point where every student in America has…
Good Urban Schools: A Portfolio Approach
This paper, first written in 2004 with Jim Shelton, is one of the first descriptions of the portfolio approach to urban education.
10 Ways Faith Congregations Can Improve Edu
Peter Groff, the Director of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for the Department of Education, will be headlining a Teachers College conference on the role of faith congregations in education.  This afternoon, I’ll be outlining these 10 specific ways that congregations can make a difference: 1.  Youth/Family Services: Communities…
Yale SOM Education Leaders Conference
A leading business school hosting an education conference? Â Ten years ago it was unimaginable. Now it happens annually in New Haven. Â The students organize a great conference, get edu-superstars to attend, and turn out in droves. Jon Schnur kicked off the Racing to the Top conference with a review…
Flat Lining Schools; Tinkering Won’t Work
This week the “The Nation’s Report Card” showed no progress. That’s really quite disturbing given aggressive federal policy (NCLB), a handful of cities like New York making real progress, states like Louisiana and Florida pushing hard, and national foundation efforts. It suggests that tinkering won’t come close to…
Memphis, 1951
If you’re in/near NYC this year, go see Memphis, the musical.  It’s a fantastic show and powerful story.  From the playbill: TURN UP THAT DIAL! From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee,…comes a hot new Broadway musical – inspired by actual events – with heart, soul…