Personalized Learning
Better organized free stuff
It’s quite phenomenal how many edu-blogs, tweeters, sites, and networks are emerging. Just a few years ago we had to rely on our weekly fix from EdWeek and now our inboxes and twitter boxes are full of news and views—a storm of info. Perhaps next gen tools like…
Personalized Learning
Dropouts: Attitudes and Antidotes
I have to admit that I didn’t fully appreciate the dropout crisis while a serving as a public school superintendent. While budgeting for my third year, I recall asking why there were fewer students in each class from 9 to 12—the drop off seemed to be higher than…
Personalized Learning
Innovating or incrementing?
The NYTimes asks Can governments till the fields of innovation? The story profiles John Kao who recently launched The Institute for Large Scale Innovation (ILSI) founded to address three key questions: · How can innovation be fostered most effectively at a societal level (country,…
Personalized Learning
June is the new Friday
Most PR specialists tell you to drop bad news on Friday. Maybe the same is true for end of the school year. We’ve certainly had bad news this month. Diploma Counts 2009, the annual EdWeek graduation rate study commissioned by the Gates Foundation, said “ While long-term trends have…
Personalized Learning
New Leaders for New Schools
Secretary Duncan recently visited high performing North Star charter school in Newark New Jersey. He’d like to see states and districts close the lowest performing schools and replace them with more schools like North Star. The first big challenge is getting state and district officials to…
Personalized Learning
Encouraging results from Early College initiative
In 2002, a phone call from Leon Botstein, President of Bard College, and a bus ride with Cece Cunningham, a Ford funded Middle College consortium, lead to the creation of a $100M national Early College initiative. After assembling about 8 partners ranging from community colleges to charter networks, the goal…
Personalized Learning
EduPoem: Melissa Quits School
Spending the day with the AdvancePath.com team discussion drop out prevention and recovery reminded me of this Lucile Burt poem Melissa Quits School I’m not going down into that cave anymore, that room under everything where they stick us…
Personalized Learning
Charter school news & views
1. Enrollment hit the Wisconsin virtual charter cap with 1,000 kids on the waiting list. It’s crazy to limit options for kids. This is clearly a case of protecting the status quo rather than doing the right thing for kids. The cap has got to go!…
Personalized Learning
Shalvey: passing the torch, leaving legacy
At the end of May, Don Shalvey handed the helm of Aspire Public Schools to James Willcox. While in San Carlos, Don started the first charter in CA. He put in 10 good years at Aspire and is headed to the Gates Foundation. Don is one of the…
Personalized Learning
Duncan needs a big lever to close 5000 bad schools
Edu-curmudgeon Diane Ravitch wants to kill NCLB and go back to local control. Most folks working in education would agree with her EdWeek commentary—just throw out measurement and accountability, at least the federal mandates. Dr. Ravitch and I agree that the reauthorization of the Elementary…