Charter Schools
Harlem Success
Harlem Success Academy runs the best elementary schools I’ve visited with the most: reading; students in 4th grade read at least 25 leveled books per month. science: students get hands on science every day starting in Kindergarten well equipped classrooms: teachers use every square inch of floor and wall…
Good Urban Schools: A Portfolio Approach
This paper, first written in 2004 with Jim Shelton, is one of the first descriptions of the portfolio approach to urban education.
For Instructional Management See CMOs
Kalman R. Hettleman writes in EdWeek, “It’s the Classroom, Stupid.” She’s right, instructional management is a big deal and often poorly managed. Here’s her three reasons: First, predisposition. The personal temperament of educators and their professional culture of insularity predispose them to be weak managers.
Most RttT Finalist Have Lame Online Plans
Most of 16 Race to the Top finalist have lame online learning plans–and this is the best of the bunch. iNACOL posted a useful review. FL is the best of a bad lot and they’re just coasting on Jeb’s leadership and still protect district enrollments by stopping the Internet at…
The Critical Need for Genuine School Reform
Over the last few years, fund manager and edu-eBlaster Whitney Tilson developed and refined the most compelling data-driven case for school reform, The Critical Need for Genuine School Reform. Warning: it’s about 170 pages plus appendices, but if you haven’t read it you really should. At least take 15 minutes…
School Choice in Sweden
BBC‘s Liz MacKean offers great report on school choice in Sweden where “There are now more than 1,100 such schools in Sweden, funded by the state, but operated independently.” And “About 10% of all students of compulsory school age now attend the new schools, and in the upper secondary level…
Edu-Innovation, an Oxymoron?
In preparation for the New Schools Summit, following are a few thoughts for a great group. Acknowledging the difficulty of penetrating the complex decentralized maze of US public education, a New Schools regular asked a dinner gathering of notable reformers last week if education innovation was an oxymoron.
Rocketship Ready to Takeoff
Rocketship Education a charter network in development in San Jose, is working hard to create the future. It’s an early hybrid–a blend of online and onsite learning. Kids spend about a fifth of their time learning basic skills online; this allows Rocketship to run a long day/year program and…
What Stuck? Key EdReformer Question
What Stuck? What faded? As an EdReformer, it’s interesting to think about the investment of time and money with a little hindsight. Seven years ago, Caprice Young chaired the LAUSD board. She went on to run the California charter association and is now CEO of KCDL, a leading…
One Solution to Middle School: Eliminate Them
National Journal is exploring the ‘forgotten middle’ grades this week. I’m not a fan of middle schools and find the growing urban trend toward K-8 or 6-12 configurations to be promising. K-12 charter networks like Aspire confirm this trend by creating paired elementary and secondary schools. Giant urban…