CRPE founder Paul Hill coined and developed the portfolio strategy model, a problem-solving framework through which education and civic leaders develop a citywide system of high-quality, diverse, autonomous public schools. It emphasizes choice, accountability, and continuous improvement as levers to create more dynamic and equitable public education systems. While portfolio strategy is not currently a central focus of CRPE’s research, it remains an important part of our legacy, and our team continues to examine its relevance to today’s education challenges.
Over the past two weeks I have become obsessed with sourdough starter. My son and I diligently followed a recipe that involved smashed grapes (organic required), many fruit flies, weeks of exacting directions, special jars, and then … nothing.
The traditional district model is clearly not working for students with complex needs. Students with disabilities are typically assigned to specialized programs or are asked to fit into a one-size-fits-all classroom.
We convened leaders from cities around the country to explore ways that school districts can use the portfolio strategy to help cities improve education for students with disabilites—and ultimately for all students.
This report focuses on the work of DC School Reform Now. Since 2011, the organization has focused on making school choice work for families in Wards 7 and 8, two underserved areas of the nation’s capital.
This report examines how New Orleans education officials have managed the return of nearly all of the city’s public schools to the control of the local elected school board for the first time since the state takeover of public schools in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The portfolio strategy has driven real improvement in urban K–12 school systems over the past 10 years. Results in Chicago, New Orleans, and New York City have been strong, and portfolio has started to reverse the decline of poverty-ridden cities like Camden, Cleveland, and Indianapolis.
Albert Shanker used to talk about crab bucket syndrome, by which high school students fighting to get out of poverty are constantly pulled back by others who don’t hope to “make it.” Something like that is happening in the increasingly polarized education policy debate, as groups trying to rise above the ideological divide about school choice get dragged back down.
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