In favor of training and (better) testing
At the Closing the Gap rally in Washington DC , a speaker shouted, “You train dogs not children.” He went on to attack standardized testing and the resulting, “dumbed-down teach-to-the-test curriculum.” It sounded like he was in favor of open-ended discovery learning. I’ve been thinking about his…
Partial list of favorite high schools
A friend asked me for a list of the best schools to visit. Here’s some of my favorite high schools, each with unique attributes and benefits: Great applied STEM (diverse but moderately low poverty) · High Tech High , San Diego · Denver…
Social learning: the next platform
I’ve been watching social learning (i.e., Facebook for edu) for a year. It’s a super saturated solution–a few solutions will explode and achieve widespread adoption by the end of the 09-10 school year. Check out this piece on social learning. It’s the next big wave in learning–the new platform.
'Innovation' Push Raising Questions
EdWeek ran a good summary of tensions around the innovation agenda. Full text below: School leaders are under increasing pressure to “innovate.” The word is ricocheting around Washington, emanating from the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and numerous reports and conferences convened by those who hope…
Miami Zone suggests closing better than supporting bad schools
After taking over NYC schools in 2000, Rudy Crew set up a Chancellor’s District—an early example of differentiated management for low performing schools. Like Steve Adamowski’s work in Cincinnati, this action was an important illustration of doing whatever it takes to turnaround low performing schools. The Chancellor’s district…
School Closings, Race, and Movement Politics
(2nd report from Close the Gap: Education Equality Day) When it comes to educating our kid, we have an invention problem and an execution problem. We need to invent new tools and new schools for this new generation. In many respects, they are already living in a…
Education Equality Day coverage from Close the Gap Rally
After a few drops of rain, inspiring student choirs and drum lines, Chancellor Joel Klein, NYC Public School & Education Equality Project Co-Founder kicked off a rally commemorating the 55th anniversary of Brown v Board. Like DC Mayor Fenty that followed him, Klein called for parent support for…
The fight for educational equality in America
Handed down 55 years ago, the Warren Court’s decision stated that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” As we remember the anniversary of this important decision, we can celebrate some progress but should feel a profound sense of shame for the vast inequities that low income and minority…
Duncan bringing Chicago-style accountability to DC
Duncan laid out his vision for Chicago-style accountability at Brookings yesterday. USA Today: The goal is to turn around 5,000 failing schools in the next five years, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday, by beefing up funding for the federal school turnaround program created by the No Child Left Behind…
Where is EdTech making a difference?
A friend asked me where EdTech is making a difference for kids, especially low income kids. Here’s my quick list. I’d love to hear more examples. 1. AdvancePath.com runs 9 blended drop out prevention centers, 8 in CA, with good results serving under credited kids. Decidedly first gen; they use…