Miami Zone suggests closing better than supporting bad schools
After taking over NYC schools in 2000, Rudy Crew set up a Chancellor’s District—an early example of differentiated management for low performing schools. Like Steve Adamowski’s work in Cincinnati, this action was an important illustration of doing whatever it takes to turnaround low performing schools. The Chancellor’s district…
How teacher pay should work
Kim Marshall’s December 16 EdWeek commentary attempts to “demolish the argument for individual merit pay.” He makes good points that suggest that individual bonuses based solely on value-added test scores are not a good idea. He suggests, instead, team-based bonuses and more pay for master teachers. There’s an…
Obama Encourages Students to Communicate in "Smaller" World
Discussions about self-awareness in a global marketplace and in an increasingly smaller world are not just diplomatic touches during another visit to a foreign country. These communications points are ever more important when technology and the Internet keep bringing primary, secondary and post-secondary students closer on a global level.
STEM Culture
The country’s first CTO, Aneesh Chopra, mentioned the President’s science and math initiative on his blog which includes a video of the president’s speech this week and showcases FIRST, the best STEM initiative in the US. At the 12 minute mark, President Obama recalls asking South Korea’s…
How Might We… Give at ISTE 2015? #SliceOfISTE
By: Tracy Clark. With #SliceOfISTE, the hope is to have ISTE attendees flood the local business, Rosa’s Pizza, which donates free slices of pizza to area folks in need of a meal.
The college access formula
A local Rotary group adopted a high need school and asked me “What’s the formula for getting kids into college?” There are three complementary strategies that grant makers and reformers utilize in an attempt to improve college attendance and completion: 1. Academic preparation: students need to…
Get Out of the Way
Learning alongside our peers, we experimented with Visible Thinking strategies, tweeted “headlines” representing our individual SXSWedu experiences, thought about what we want our students to be like and reflected on a shift in our thinking about what needs to take place in order for educational innovation to occur.
Tom Watkins 10 Personal Recommended Action Steps Innovative Learning
Tom Walkins argued that personal digital learning made obsolete the existing confinements of 180 days, 6 hour days, 4 walls of a classroom, and the 2 covers of a textbook. Tom concluded with 10 recommended action steps to innovative learning.
EdTech 10: Shining in the Spotlight
At Getting Smart, we are happy to continue to shine that well deserved spotlight on the interesting developments in education every week with the top 10 stories in EdTech.
Restoring the American Dream
If we invest in infrastructure, curb run away spending, and open our public services to innovation our kids will have a chance to embrace a new version of the America Dream.