Urban Schools

New York Charter Success: You Know How to Spell It 0
- August 18, 2015
It’s often been said “you can’t argue with success” (or Success). But that doesn’t stop some from trying. Last year, I pointed out the collective jaw-dropping that took place when test results came back from students in the Harlem Success Academies, a New York City charter network that overwhelmingly serves poor and disadvantaged families. Just […]
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Close Look at Diverse Charter Options Helps to Tell Us What Parents Want 0
- July 21, 2015
What do parents want? I’m not sure why people bring this question to me. Based on my somewhat limited experience, I tend to think the answer has something to do with keeping rooms clean, eating fruits and vegetables, minding manners, and not breaking things. When it comes to a child’s education, I think there’s more […]
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Friday Decisions: A Furry Friend, Sneak-onomics, and Extra Ice Cream!0
- July 17, 2015
Yesterday the Colorado Department of Education released CMAS science and social studies test results. It’s only the second year the test has been given (science to 5th and 8th graders, social studies to 4th and 7th graders), so you can’t read too much into the trend lines. The bottom line is that scores are up […]
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New Arrupe Jesuit Profile Highlights the Power of Educational Freedom 0
- July 2, 2015
It’s almost time for July 4th! We’re only hours away from barbeques, fireworks, and copious amounts of flag waving. Before we get to that stuff, though, let’s take a few minutes to talk about a different kind freedom: The kind that empowers kids without means to access the high-quality educational options they need to build […]
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Broad Brush “Limited Impact” Claim Vindicates Progress of Prop 104 0
- May 4, 2015
Last week I posted a case study from the Thompson School District, an example of how NOT to negotiate an employee agreement. Just because the popularly enacted Prop 104 has opened the door on these negotiations doesn’t guarantee that they will be conducted effectively, at least not on the first try. That isn’t to say […]
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Charters Off the Beaten Path: A Different Kind of Roadtrip 0
- April 3, 2015
This has been a good week. I got to write what I hope you thought was a funny April Fools’ Day post, and yesterday I had the pleasure of highlighting some exciting developments in what is quickly shaping up to be another year of school choice. The week before that, I talked about the awesome […]
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