Can economic development & social justice coexist?
A friend asked, “Can economic development and social justice be achieved simultaneously?” I think the answer is, “Yes, they always develop together but are often in conflict.” This is the central question of the American experiment. We each contemplate the opportunity-equity dialectic when we vote (e.g.,…
Good Cop, Bad Cop in Charter Sector
1. Good Cop. Following the lead of the CA Charter School Association , it’s a good sign that AZ charters are self policing . Should see more of this from TX Charter Schools now that David Dunn is there. 2. Bad Cop. The…
EduPoem: To Be of Use
Nancy Hoffman, Jobs for the Future was probably the first person to share this Marge Piercy poem with me. I thought of it at Philanthropy Roundtable yesterday where I saw so many edu=entrepreneurs making a difference for kids. To Be of Use…
Charter demand high but schools still under attack
NY Daily News reported on the Harlem Success lottery. Hard to read this without supporting charters: Ebony Griffin, 26, whose daughter Yolanda, 4, got a seat, said her prayers were answered. “I was sitting there like, ‘Please, please,’ and then her…
Roundtable Rock Stars; a lottery in Harlem
1. Philanthropy Roundtable members backs advocacy We don’t have many rock stars in education, but the few that exist were at 30 Rock, in Rainbow Room. Howard Fuller called for more minority charter developers. A powerful lunch panel including Joel Klein (NYC DOE), Geoffrey (HCZ), and…
Simply Kindness
I come from a line of people committed to service. Today we gathered to celebrate my grandmother’s 96 years of service. Her house smelled of bread and pine paneling. The first thing she’d do when you walked through the door was offer you weak coffee and banana…
Achievement gap amounts to permanent recession
McKinsey released an important study on the American achievement gap—a gap between American and other developed countries, a gap between races, a gap between income groups, and a gap between schools, districts and states. Low achievement levels amount to a permanent recession. Friedman on…
Private Capital in Public Education-Feedback
1. Response from the Gadfly: But, of course, there’s a profound trade off. Vendors are not reformers. Consultants are not agitators. Advisors are not change agents. Okay, maybe they’re gradual change agents over the very long haul. In real political cycles, however (and in the…
Bloomberg & urban mayors should control schools
School districts are a strange American anachronism—no other country delivers public education through strong local authorities. This strange historical remnant is not crippling in all cases but has been proven to be completely ineffective in urban America. We are no longer able to elect and sustain effective urban…
Read new AEI white paper on edu innovation
American Enterprise Institute suggests an entrepreneurial approach to most problems we face including education. They recently published my white paper Private Capital & Public Education: Toward Quality at Scale. …