Charter Schools
In Case You Wanted a Rebuttal
EdWeek ran a ridiculous op-ed by David Marshak, of Eastern Washington University. Here’s the brief response: Marshak’s logic is flawed, his data is bad, and his history revised. Over 1200 new schools were funded through dozens of networks with strong design principals including the emergence of CMOS-the…
Brookings Makes Thoughtful Recommendations on Choice
Brookings released a thoughtful report encouraging expanding K-12 choice including the following recommendations choice be exercised through systems in which parents have more options than at present (with the expansion of virtual education programs being a promising means to that end); admission into particular schools within choice systems be…
Creativity and Accountability
Yong Zhao is back in receptive Seattle this week preaching his gospel of edu-innovation. The anti-standards, pro-creativity Zhao is a Chinese-born prof at Michigan State. Here’s his thesis in a nutshell: In my new book Catching Up or Leading the Way, I mostly focus on issues facing…
Thoughts for Charter School Authorizers
Dear Charter Authorizers, 1. Some of you are becoming school districts–bureaucratic and directive. What happened to ‘autonomy for accountability’? Reading some of your renewal reviews, it’s like having a boss all over again. 2. Timelines are so long and apps are so big and expensive to prepare,…
NY could learn some things from LA too
Margaret Raymond’s LA Times piece suggested that LA could learn from NY. That’s true in some areas of school reform, but I think there may be problems with some of her assertions and her timing. 1. She references her study which had obvious flaws regarding matching (i.e., first…
10 Reasons This is the Decade of Edupreneurs
Here’s 9 reasons that this will be a great decade for edupreneurs. new money foundations focused on new school development a multiplying horde of venture/private equity investors interested in disruptive learning technology a small but growing number of impact funds investing for return and social impact mature engines of social…
New School Ecosystems
There are interesting parallels between charter schools in the US and affordable private school in India. Both focus on the urban poor, promote choice, and often develop within an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Whether it’s New Orleans or Hyderabad, there are a dozen accelerants that promote access and quality: 1. Incubation…
Parents Deserve Options
Wow, lots of hate for the parent trigger from the ‘we know better’ bloggers on National Journal. Here’s my take. What other service would survive for more than 5 years when more than half of the customers were dissatisfied? The only problem with the CA parent trigger is that…
10 US education reformers that will impact 2010
Arne Duncan is taking advantage of an unbelievably large budget and pushing a tough reform agenda targeting low-income kids and struggling schools. While he’ll have his hands full with reauthorization, he has assembled a top notch team. Joanne Weiss leads the mother of all grant program—Race to…
7 charter authorizing strategies for scale & quality
I forgot an important 6th charter authorizing path that will continue to grow in importance–conversions. With budget cuts and dysfunctional districts, more public schools are contemplating charter conversion. To guard against ‘take the money and run’ (previously common in GA and elsewhere) where schools become charter in name only, a…