Charter Schools
Inglorious Board
Just five years ago, San Diego was high on the list of districts most likely to become a national model. Alan Bersin had a great Blue Print and worked aggressively to improve existing schools and open innovative new schools. After firing Bersin, driving off decent superintendents that…
The adolescent politics of virtual education
In 1995, I was sure that the explosion of the web would result in a good deal of online learning competition—and fast. I may have been right about the first but not the second. It took a dozen years for online learning to get big and competitive, but…
Virtual alignment of high school & college
We’re seeing the beginning of aligned high school and college assets online. Apex led the way with online AP courses—the most popular college credit strategy—and most online providers including K12 followed suit. Milken’s impressive education portfolio includes KC Distance Learning (Keystone,…
This week in America: the big scramble
1. As I travel the country, I see evidence of thousands of districts, charter networks, and non-profits scrambling to mobilize for stimulus money—the great ARRA premobilization. Everyone knows Duncan’s four priorities; everyone is trying to figure out how this is going to play out; everyone is trying to…
Charter news & views
1. Miami Dade plans to open four new public schools, two replacement high schools and 13 new charter schools this fall. Three of the charter schools will be multi-shift blended models operated by Mavericks in Education. 2. I’m seeing more interest in Hebrew…
Updated Grant Opportunities
I made the ultimate board member mistake of leaving off two exciting organizations off my great grant opportunities list. So here’s my updated list leading off with two groups that I support as a board member. (The list also includes friends, clients, and portfolio companies)…
Stealth Education Reform Beats the Health Debacle
Watching the Sunday morning arguments about health reform, I was struck by how fortunate we are that Obama’s team snuck education reform into the stimulus bill. While most of the $100 billion for education just partially backfills cuts, it forced states to acknowledge the Department of Education’s priorities…
ADVANCE Innovative Education school design session
One of my favorite activities is spending time with smart people thinking about new schools. Â ADVANCE innovative Education, a provider of alternative certification programs in Louisiana, held a design session today with a great group. Â The assignment was to design a STEM school and a media arts school. Â Sponsors hope…
Rhode Island Mayoral Academies will be great!
Mike Magee comes from a political family. His brother Marc got his start at PPI and is now CCO of ConnCAN, the best state education advocacy organization. Mike tried to be an English prof, but the genetic pull and a local mayoral race dragged him into politics. After…
Candler's new schools making a difference in NOLA
When I visited New Orleans before Katrina, I saw third world schools—decrepit physical conditions, corrupt governance, and abysmal academic output. Based on my last few visits, I can report that some good has come out of the horrible tragedy of the hurricanes—New Orleans has the highest percentage of…