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 […]

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 […]

Breakout Session #2: Messages, Media, and Mindshare

As Walter Isaacson shared with the audience during the morning session at the NewSchools Summit, the world needs more storytellers – it has plenty of preachers. In the afternoon, participants dug into effective storytelling, particularly in terms of what it takes to enlist ambassadors as evangelists for a shared message and to engage the media. […]

Guest post: What Race to the Top Says About Education Entrepreneurs

This guest post comes from Ariela Rozman, chief executive officer of The New Teacher Project, an entrepreneurial organization that is changing the conversation about teacher effectiveness across the country. Discussion of the Obama administration’s Race to the Top competition often resembles coverage of a major political campaign. Most of the focus is on the horse […]

Telling stories with letters and pixels

All eyes are on education entrepreneurs these days. Parents and communities are watching to see whether chronically failing schools can be turned around by new operators, whether new charter schools will make a difference for low-income students, and whether new ways of preparing teachers and new tools for instruction will change the way classrooms work. […]