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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 policy at Education Week. The measure is ostensibly aimed at finding $10 billion to save teacher jobs, […] Read more

Recognizing innovation and impact: the NewSchools Summit 2010 Awards

While much of the NewSchools Summit focuses on charting a path forward and taking a hard, critical look at the challenges and opportunities for this community in the future, it is also an occasion to celebrate the tremendous achievements of the education reform community. As such, NewSchools recognizes individuals and organizations that, through their embodiment of the spirit of entrepreneurship, have had exemplary impact over the past year. While those we honor today come from different […] Read more

Guest post: Closing the Achievement Gap – The Edupreneur Way

This guest post was written by  Ellen Winn of the Education Equality Project, a national, bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap. The recent death of achievement-gap closing hero Jaime Escalante (whose story was brought to life via the film “Stand and Deliver”) has got me thinking anew about how we can close the achievement gap. If Escalante did one thing, he debunked the myth that “those” kids – the […] Read more

Visit a DC charter school during the week of NewSchools Summit

While you are in the nation’s capital to join education entrepreneurs and other leaders at the NewSchools Summit 2010, see what this work looks like on the ground by visiting one of the city’s many outstanding public charter schools. DC Preparatory Academy, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, Friendship Public Charter School, KIPP DC, Maya Angelou Public Charter School, and SEED School have all invited Summit participants to tour their schools in the Washington, […] Read more

Guest Post: Of Evaluation and Transparency

Our latest guest blog post comes from Rick Hess, Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (and now also the blogger behind the eponymous “Rick Hess Straight Up” blog on Education Week’s Web site). The evidentiary standards for the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund have stirred much conversation. On those standards, I’ve mixed feelings. On the one hand, the i3 criteria have healthfully prompted would-be applicants to […] Read more

Guest Post: School Models That Work for Boys

Our latest guest blog post comes from Richard Whitmire, former editorial board writer for USA Today and the blogger behind Why Boys Fail. When the news broke that Baltimore’s KIPP Ujima Village Academy had reached an agreement allowing extended school hours and Saturday instruction, most followers of education reform probably thought: Good, a few more poor and minority students in Baltimore who will stay on a college readiness track. Not me. My […] Read more

Guest Post: Edu-Innovation, an Oxymoron?

As we edge closer to NewSchools Summit 2010, we will be featuring a series of guest blog posts from entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the sector, who will weigh in with ideas and suggestions related to the Summit theme. This first post is from Tom Vander Ark of public affairs firm Vander Ark/Ratcliff and private equity firm Revolution Learning. Acknowledging the difficulty of penetrating the complex decentralized maze of US public education, […] Read more