Personalized Learning
Personalized learning is a mindset and approach to teaching that focuses on meeting each learner where they are and tailoring a curriculum that considers their interests, prior knowledge and skill level, and pace. Such a demand on the teacher requires sophisticated usage of technology in a combination of personalized, blended and online learning.
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. …
Indian innovation capital flowing to edu
Times of India, drawing on “Private Equity Pulse-Education,” reports that 80% of private equity and venture capital firms see education as recession proof and plan investments in the next 6-8 months. Given more room for innovation in India, its likely that we’ll see new learning innovations taken…
Reconciliation on Poverty Bay
Poverty Bay is a quiet elbow of the Puget Sound north of Tacoma. Twelve foot tides leave their mark twice daily. Herons guard the beach with air support from a family of bald eagles. It’s a spiritual place, which is a nice way of saying that for nine months of…
3 legislatures attempt to turn back clock
In a ridiculous effort to set back the clock, the Oregon legislature is considering protecting districts from online competition. The Florida senate is considering a bill that would limit courses that students can take online. And, as previously reported, Arkansas joint budget committed…