Object lessons in political savvy

Yesterday, I woke up to the latest in a series of object lessons in political savvy for education entrepreneurs. My alarm clock radio is set to NPR, and this morning, I hazed into consciousness listening to a terrific piece by Claudio Sanchez on the growing field of teacher residency programs. The piece focused mostly on […]

I see i3 …

With 29 days until the application deadline, we got a first look this week at what the giant pile of applications might look like. April 1 was the deadline for applicants for the Investing in Innovation (i3) fund to turn in e-mails indicating their intent to apply for grants under the $650 million fund. Take […]

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 […]

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 […]

Just a Little Light Summer Reading

The Department of Education has put out a call for readers to judge entries in the Investing in Innovation Fund competition. (Applications for the fund aren’t out yet, but this call is a sure sign they’re coming soon.) This is crucial stuff: as with all jury trials, this depends on having smart, well-informed folks on […]

A new way of doing something

Innovation may refer to incremental, radical, and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. A distinction is typically made between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully. (Wikipedia) It’s more than just departing from the status quo, and beyond mere experimentation. It’s easy to call to mind breakthrough innovations that have […]