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 […]
How Governance Reforms Can Outlast the Reformers
Fourth in a CRPE Blog Series on Education Governance as a Civic Enterprise Those who have done well under traditional school governance systems are frightened by the ideas of families choosing their schools, schools controlling their own budgets and staffing, and meaningful accountability structures encompassing all schools. When people see disadvantaged kids getting access to […]
Getting Beyond the Book Wars
Third in a CRPE Blog Series on Education Governance as a Civic Enterprise I’m often asked how CRPE’s portfolio model differs from the vision put forth in my friend Andy Smarick’s book, The Urban School System of the Future. My first response is, “Not all that much.” Andy’s proposed solution to urban school system dysfunction […]
Spreading the Gospel—and the Freedoms
Second in a CRPE Blog Series on Education Governance as a Civic Enterprise Educators often let me know they are passionately opposed to charter schools. “If freedom is so good for schools,” they ask, “then why not give it to all of them, not just charter schools?” I used to say that you have to […]
How Will We Oversee the School Systems of the Future?
First in a CRPE Blog Series on Education Governance as a Civic Enterprise Those of you who follow CRPE’s work know that we have long been a leading source of ideas about new approaches to public oversight of schools. One of our core beliefs regarding governance is that public schools can, and should, be given […]