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Last month, the White House announced the winners of a hotly contested competition among states for early childhood Race to the Top funding. Proposals from governors — 17 Republicans and 18 Democrats — totaled more than four times the available funding and underscored the fact that long-term academic success depends in a large part on [...]
Over dinner this weekend, I listened to public school parents echo an increasingly common refrain. An active mom was disappointed that her child’s school hadn’t been more responsive to her efforts encouraging the teaching of good character. Her husband noted that the school occasionally takes a week to focus on themes like “respect others” — [...]
Take a guess whose influence over America’s schools has increased most? Their decisions include what gets taught, what results get shared with parents and the public, what’s expected of teachers and students, and the role of testing. Local school boards? President Obama? Congress? Teachers unions? Business? Mayors? Guess again. If you don’t know the name and goals [...]
Today, I walked my first-grade son to our neighborhood public school before joining over 500 leaders converging on New York City to make tangible commitments to promote economic mobility in America at the Opportunity Nation summit. I told Matthew that people were coming virtually every sector — business, education, non-profit and community organizations, religious institutions and [...]
