Advocating for online options
We’re building a advocacy initiative for online and blended learning. Â some of the goals include paint pictures of the future of learning promote quality options for kids/families guide state and local policy development encourage investment in innovation Tell me if I missed something obvious and if there are groups that…
SES helps kids trapped in failing schools, not school fix
The MN Daily Planet makes a careening series of attacks on Supplemental Educational Services (SES).  The primary criticism is that tutoring some of the low income students didn’t fix the schools.  SES was not designed primarily as a school improvement strategy; it is an effort to quickly and directly counter…
Frequent conversation as teacher evaluation
The National Journal launched a discussion of teacher evaluation today. Â Here’s my take. We need to improve observation and value-added data to dramatically improve teacher evaluation. Â The best observation system I’ve seen is KC KS where teaching is a public act and where teachers receive frequent feedback on…
Rhee-engaged
Last week was the first time I’ve seen Michelle Rhee since taking on DC schools.  She is a compelling speaker with an honest data-driven message about what needs to happen to make things better for kids. She’s facing a firestorm about a recent layoff that included 229 of the city’s…
Charter applications tougher but better?
As the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) prepares to meet in Salt Lake City next week, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the art of authorizing. I’ve had the opportunity to observe four charter school applications over the last year and a half–that’s how long it takes…
Progress in Georgia on charters & dropouts
Georgia wins Most Improved charter policy set this year. But the new law creating room for more charters and funding parity is already under attack. While visiting with Tony Roberts and the Georgia Charter School Association, we discussed the need for restart capacity. I think charter restarts…
SIGs likely to cause heat
After spending time with district leaders in NY & LA this week, I was struck by the impending challenge of integrating district accountability and improvement efforts with federal School Improvement Grants. The feds have signaled that $3.5 billion in SIGs will require alignment with four strategies (transformation, turnaround,…
No physics teacher? Emerging solutions
You’re a rural principal and you don’t have a physics teacher. What do you do? Eduwonk posed this prompt yesterday. The simple solution is to offer an online course. There are solid offerings in most states (but it does depend on state policies; there are a…
State charter associations can play key role
I think charter associations can/must play an important role.  The best associations eliminate caps and barriers advocate for equitable funding and access to public facilities promote charter quality provide value added services I think there’s more opportunity for charter associations to provide ‘freemium’ services with fee based premium services for application support,…
Systems of Survival
A board dinner discussion about scaling educational impact reminded me of Jane Jacobs’ Systems of Survival.  The Library Journal summarized it this way: Jacobs argues that modern societies utilize two distinctive moral systems–one being suited to the world of commerce, the other to the world of politics. Commercial morality…