Featured Articles

Learning

SXSWedu Halftime Report

The Getting Smart team is live from Austin, TX this week covering the SXSWedu conference. The event, in its third year expects up to 5,000 attendees this week, a large jump from the 800 its first year. We took a break from breakfast tacos for a first half recap.

2 months ago by Tom Vander Ark

EdTech

SXSWedu Preview

The Getting Smart team is excited to participate in SXSWedu for the third straight year. The conference continues to grow every year adding new events, speakers and an expanded audience. We’re excited for the addition of an education film festival and dinner with other edtech women!

2 months ago by Caroline Vander Ark Davis

Learning

What Guides Your Work? And, Why Do You Teach What You Teach?

In my last post, Why do you teach? And, why do you stay?, I hoped to start a conversation about teaching -- why in the world are we here, and what keeps us here? I now want to look at what guides our work, and why we teach what we teach. For most of my teaching career, I did not know why I taught what I taught, or I th...

2 months ago by Courtney Hanes

Leadership

Smart Cities: San Diego

Running the San Diego County Office of Education seems pretty tame after tours of duty as state administrator in Oakland and Compton, but Randy Ward argues that county offices are more relevant than ever. With half a million kids and 42 districts there’s plenty to worry about.

2 months ago by Tom Vander Ark

Learning

Free Choice Learning: What Teachers Can Learn From Museums

What does a public school classroom have in common with a museum exhibition hall? The answer has nothing to do with oversized models or informative laminated labels - and everything to do with the joy of learning.

2 months ago by Winifred Kehl

advocacy partner

MIND Research Institute

The nonprofit MIND Research Institute is dedicated to solving math education in America through its cutting-edge approach to teaching and learning math. Its uniquely visually-based ST Math instructional software program is helping children across the country dramatically improve their math proficiency and become life-l...

Learning

Changing How We Think About Student Choice in Learning: Recombinant Education

An explosion of innovation has been transforming how we think about learning, and how we organize talent and resources to support learning experiences. School as we once knew it has become ‘unbundled.’ While Ohio has been debating charter schools, vouchers, and e-schools for years, emerging digital and blended lea...

2 months ago by Lisa Duty

Leadership

7 Ways States & Districts Can Use Authorizing to Boost Quality & Innovation

Performance contracting is a services agreement with clear outcomes. States and districts have been using performance contracts for public charter schools, private school special education placements, information and business services, and for energy efficiency partnerships.

3 months ago by Tom Vander Ark