Good Work: Lifetimes of Contribution
Blog Series, Good Work, Leadership, Mission-Driven Work / by Tom Vander Ark
ECS gives out an annual lifetime achievement award named after James B Conant (the guy who chaired the commission that standardized high school courses and credits). A friend (and previous winner) asked if it was time to give the award to learning technology or someone associated with technology. I told him I’d be reluctant to give an award to a particular technology but would consider folks behind it.
Following is a quick and far from conclusive list of folks that deserve a Conant Award but haven’t yet won:
- Jim Hunt given his central leadership to national college/career ready standards
- Joel Klein made big contributions to portfolio strategy with an emphasis on innovation in NYC
- Joel Rose, thru School of One (now Next Classrooms) advanced the idea of a customized playlist
- Steve Jobs for the mobile learning disruption we’re experiencing
- Jeb Bush for advancing data driven accountability
- Marjorie Scardino for leading the start of a big transition
- Barbara Dreyer and Ron Packard for expanding online opportunity
- Allan Olson for building adaptive assessment powerhouse NWEA
- Sal Khan is making big contributions to the tools and understanding of competency-based learning
- Doug Thomas, Dennis Littky, and Elliott Washor for beginning to undo what Conant did to secondary schools
Who else belongs on the list?
