Evidence Matters: Proving Whether School Reforms Make a Difference for Kids
When people lament that innovation is not possible in “regular” districts—ones that are overseen by elected school boards and working with active teachers unions—we at CRPE often point to Denver Public Schools. We’re not alone in noticing Denver—cities around the country have heard about its energy, new ideas, and solid implementation. Last year alone, more […]
Charter Schools: Special Needs “Served Well Here” or “Need Not Apply”?
One of the most important challenges for governing city schools in an era of choice is protecting the interests of students with special needs. These kids are often desperate for better options, but also vulnerable to being pushed out of schools that don’t want them. The fact that charter schools tend to enroll a smaller […]
Will New York Reforms Survive?
Michael Bloomberg’s final term as New York City mayor will soon end. Will the nationally influential education governance changes he introduced end too? From the tone of the now-concluded Democratic primary, one might expect so. The winner, Bill de Blasio, condemned recent actions by Bloomberg’s Department of Education as “a cynical effort to lock communities […]
Good Governance Starts and Ends with Strong Schools
CRPE is a policy shop. We study governance systems and propose policy solutions at the systems level, but I start every presentation about CRPE’s work with this list of the attributes not of effective systems, but of effective schools. I also tell new CRPE employees that one of the most important reports they can read […]
Conflicts of Interest in Governance
Elected school boards are a cherished community tradition in public education and they provide voice to many big and small community interests. But sometimes these political functions undermine their ability to improve opportunities for students. Both operating and overseeing schools can lead boards to protect the schools they run even when they are not working […]
Nashville Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Charter Schools
In the last few years, those at the helm of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) have become increasingly hostile to the city’s fast-growing charter school sector. Last year, the school board refused (despite a directive from the state to approve) a charter application from Great Hearts Academy, a respected Arizona charter management organization. This […]
City Spotlight: Denver
Beginning this month, one city or metropolitan area will be profiled in each Compact Newsletter. This special spotlight will highlight ongoing district or charter reforms in a specific city. First up is Denver! Through Denver’s district-charter collaboration project, entitled “Compact Blue”, district and charter partners are working to transform school practices and performance through Peer-to-Peer […]
Elected Boards: Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without Them
Governance reforms – those that open public education to innovation, new providers, competition, and family choice – often start with suspension of normal local politics, via mayoral or state takeovers that bypass the elected local school board. This trend would make Thomas Jefferson happy. Noting that any governance arrangement is subject to what political scientists […]
Innovate or Die
A few weeks ago, after I gave a presentation on the opportunities and challenges of the portfolio model, a charter school proponent asked me, “Robin, do you really believe districts can innovate?” Certainly not under the current governance model, which is actually hostile to innovation. By innovation, I’m not talking about buying everyone iPads and […]
Little Red Caboose or Impending Derailment? Charter Schools and Common Core
One jolting result from the generally sobering New York State Common Core test results was that charter schools fared worse than previously when compared to other New York public schools. Although student background was not taken into account, many New York charter schools’ proficiency scores were simply not as impressive as on other exams. Critics […]