Why all students have access to online learning
Rereading iNACOL policy report that suggests six reasons to close the online learning deal in the handful of states still prohibiting the internet (at least for learning): Public and available Academically and demographically blind: flexible and accessible for all students Engaging: often more engaging than traditional courses (and it…
Fix or replace Dropout Factories
EdWeek ran a useful commentary by friends from JFF and Johns Hopkins that outlined the range of challenges faced by states in fixing the roughly 2,000 high schools with graduation rates below 60%. Like the authors, I appreciate Secretary Duncan’s laser focus on attacking chronic failure–something NCLB…
7 charter authorizing strategies for scale & quality
I forgot an important 6th charter authorizing path that will continue to grow in importance–conversions. With budget cuts and dysfunctional districts, more public schools are contemplating charter conversion. To guard against ‘take the money and run’ (previously common in GA and elsewhere) where schools become charter in name only, a…
Parent Trigger back from grave in CA
The Parent Trigger–the power to for a majority of parents to choose the best option for their kids–was dead last week. It was given new life by the CA senate today by a one vote majority. It faces an uphill battle in the Assembly where a member said, “This is…
The Great Inflection & what it means for Edu-Philanthropy
We’re at a turning point. Thirty years ago, Fritjof Capra, who paved the systems thinking pathway for Senge and Wheatley, warned that mankind always sees itself at a turning point. But this time it’s really true. Expanded access to broadband, cheap…
RttT has already had biggest impact of any grant program
Race to the Top strikes again! The mother of all grant programs has produced more reform than any grant program in history. And the feds haven’t spent a dime yet. Three quarters of the states have indicated that they’ll be applying for phase 1 grants in January and most have…
5 charter authorizing strategies to max RttT
It’s time to rethink charter school authorization. There are 5,000 charter schools in the US (about 5% of the total number of schools) and a push from the Department of Education for more. Given that half of the charters aren’t any better than traditional public schools, there has been a push…
Tides & salmon and what they can teach us
It was low tide on Poverty Bay (south of Seattle) at 9:15 this morning. When my Jack Russell and I bounded off the bottom of the steps we almost ran into a giant bald eagle chomping on a sea gull. It looked like there had been a pillow…
Post-inflection learning ecosystem for entrepreneurs
National Journal asked us to review a Springboard (Business Roundtable) report. My reaction was, “Where’s the entrepreneurship?” Springboard made some sound recommendations, but it reads like the predictable managed economy platform of big biz/labor. In contrast, yesterday Tom Friedman noted the Great Inflection and the ‘maker economy.’ …
DOE is major venture investor (but not ED)
The WSJ reports that the Department of Energy has quietly become the biggest venture capital investor: The DOE hopes to lend or give out more than $40 billion to businesses working on “clean technology,” everything from electric cars and novel batteries to wind turbines and solar panels.