2011 Investing in Innovation (i3) competition announced
Here’s a bit of information on the newly announced 2011 round of the federal Investing in Innovation Fund, or i3. We’re thrilled that nine members of the NewSchools portfolio were winners last year, and want to make sure you have the information that will enable you to decide whether the fund is of interest to […]
Guest Post: What’s smoking got to do with ed reform?
By Ellen Winn, Executive Vice President, 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now Education advocacy is the hot item of the year. After years of focusing almost solely on educational practice and structure (and amassing a serious list of “what works”), there is consensus in our field that if we don’t get serious about removing […]
“Winning the Future.” Duh.
“Winning the future.” We know Charlie Sheen wants to (or is already), but suddenly President Obama wants in on the action too. With these words as his backdrop (see photo left!), the President recently spoke at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia to call upon Congress to fix the federal No Child Left Behind education law […]
Education for $1000, Alex
Two weeks ago, I caught 20 minutes of a Jeopardy! show featuring Skynet Watson, the trivia-loving artificial intelligence computer built by IBM. Squaring off against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, the two alpha males of the human Jeopardy!-loving world, I watched with intrigue as Watson mercilessly chewed through questions (“answers”, technically) as the human “competitors” […]
Why Your Government Matters
It’s not a schoolhouse rock segment (the song would be pretty lame), nor even a Civics class topic—it’s the question that NewSchools CEO Ted Mitchell will be addressing at tomorrow’s hearing of the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Thursday. Ted will be among one of four witnesses testifying about the crucial things […]
President Races Toward Education Innovation (and Lox) in State of the Union
Earlier tonight, President Obama delivered his second State of the Union address (technically, his first speech after being elected is considered a “Joint Address to Congress”). Luckily for those of us tasked with summarizing the SOTU’s relevance to education policy, a copy of the speech leaked early to National Journal, prompting the President to joke […]
School reform vs. school jobs? No.
Tucked away in a military spending bill in the House of Representatives is a false choice: saving jobs vs. education reform. The proposal, by Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wis), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, came to light yesterday thanks to the considerable candlepower of Alyson Klein, half of the dynamic duo that covers federal education […]
Education in the post-NCLB era
Education reform has taken a subtle but sharp turn in recent years, notes Kevin Carey of Education Sector in a thoughtful, lengthy blog post: “When I began working on education policy full-time in the early 2000’s, the center of gravity in education reform sat with the coalition of civil rights advocates, business leaders, and reform-minded governors of […]
Braving a new policy world
If the entrepreneurial education movement was a person, what would it want to be when it grew up? This short video – which debuted at the NewSchools Summit 2010 a few weeks ago – tells the story of how this movement was born and raised, and the different ways we’ll all need to work together […]
Breakout #1: District and State Partnership – Boon or Detriment for Entrpreneurship?
Resolved: Entrepreneurs and Systems must Partner to Achieve Widespread Improvement This afternoon, a spirited oxford-style debate took place to examine this resolution. Under the direction of moderator Mashea Ashton, CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, the panel examined whether partnerships with districts and states were necessary for the success of entrepreneurial education organizations and […]