Archive
element:when
Charters show the way forward
Given the US challenge of achieving quality at scale—the combination of equity and excellence—the most important innovation of the last decade is charter networks. Their success is undeniable. Their lessons are clear. Key elements include: clear goals and a strong college-bound no-excuses culture; data-driven instruction and performance-based employment; extended learning…
Racing to the top in Baton Rouge
Duncan’s Race to the Top is not simply a race to beat out other states for funding, or to pass “qualifying” language at the last minute, it is a competition to see who can work collaboratively and innovatively with real commitment to education reform. The challenge is so great…
Great ConnCAN report unpacks CT's bizarre school funding
ConnCAN, the best state education advocacy organization in the country, continues to beat the drum for equity and excellence in Connecticut. The Tab is a hard hitting report on the bizarre state funding model that rewards failure rather than promoting accountability and school choice. Here’s summary recommendations:…
Scrap credits/time as measures of progress
It’s time to scrap credit accumulation and seat time as the measures of student progress. Seat time requirements are the enemy of performance-based education. We’ve been spouting the mantra ‘vary time not learning’ for a generation but have seldom broken the mold. It’s great to see ED and CCSSO (and…
On capital budgeting and innovation
You may recall a boring unit on capital budgeting if you took a finance class in college. Your prof may have failed made the connection, but primary source of innovation is the capital accumulation and allocation decisions to produce a product/service that solves a customer problem. School districts raise…
Investment follows incentives (edu doesn't have them)
The National Journal guest hosts asked “what are the essential components of an effective innovation, research, development, and dissemination infrastructure in education?” The question begged for a bureaucratic answer and blog responses went all over the place, but I think most folks missed the boat on this one.
TIF or Promise?
Alyson at EdWeek contrasts the love-but-no-$ for Promise Neighborhoods and the whopping $517m for the Teacher Incentive Fund, which allocates grants to districts to create or bolster performance-pay programs. I’m on the board of MLA Partner Schools in Los Angeles which has developed a great turnaround strategy for…
Urban showdown coming in RttT states
While bloggers were disappointed by a series of blob-friendly compromises, I’m mostly bullish on final RttT language primarily for an important clause that will result in real improvement in the nation’s worst schools. Flypaper said, “It appears high inspiration was tempered by the various and messy forces of…
Leaders & Laggards: a call to action
The Leaders and Laggards report is an important scorecard showing why, how, and where America is losing the education race. We pride ourselves on innovation but this report suggests there isn’t much of that in education. A bipartisan group of think tanks scored states on school management, finance,…
Free higher ed courses not great USED investment
Rick Hess makes a series of good arguments that the $500m ‘online skills laboratory’ isn’t a great investment. In the mixed provider post secondary space, quality content isn’t the top barrier. It’s pricing that reflects the sunk costs of existing institutions. A healthy market will make investment in…