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In a certain to be much talked about book, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns by Clayton M. Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson, and Michael B. Horn describe how a majority of students will use online learning within a decade. They suggest we must disrupt, that is change, thinking about individualizing learning and schooling. This provocative book follows in the path of earlier “disruptive” and innovative thinking about society and business.
We’ve addressed online learning as the fastest growing section for education change in past entries. You can access this topic by searching our previous entries.
The U.S. Dept. of Education produced Evaluating Online Learning: Challenges and Strategies for Success to address the challenge of meeting diverse needs of online learners and how to assess their learning. This 80 page guide (free online) delves into the technical aspects of data gathering and organizing information for arriving at both formative and summative conclusions about program effectiveness using real school examples.
Posted on July 10, 2008 at 7:46 pm
under Alternatives, Charter schools, Choices, Online learning, Personalized Educ, Reports, Virtual schools
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Tagged book review, Christensen, Online learning, school reform, Virtual schools
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Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed Readiness Schools, as a radical departure from conventional district schools according to an article in the Boston Globe. Officials said these schools would be “freed from many constraints imposed by unions, school districts, and the state. The readiness schools would adapt to community needs and offer new alternatives in school systems across the state.” Readiness schools were described as a hybred of charter schools and Boston’s Pilot Schools.
The Governor will attempt the legislation in January, 2009 with the aim of opening schools by fall, 2009 and 40 within four years. “Readiness schools would be allowed to deviate from state curriculum guidelines and experiment with teaching practices.” The schools would be a choice for parents, students and staff.
This kind of innovation typifies the ferment and impatience about over-regulated schools and the difficulty of reform efforts.
Arising from discussions with Politeia, Brazil’s democratic education institute, at the 15th International Democratic Education Conference last summer in Sao Paulo a new work “A History of Democratic Education in American Public Schools” by democracy advocate and IALA member John Harris Loflin is now available.
Supported by IALA, this comprehensive 161 page paper aims at persuading American urban public classrooms and schools to become more democratic. In doing so, he encourages public schools to enter solidly into the 21st century by questioning, rethinking and providing alternatives to 20th century concepts particularly for under-served children and youth.
Posted on July 3, 2008 at 12:58 am
under Alternatives, Articles, At risk programs, Democratic schools, IDEC, Loflin, John, Reports, Research
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Tagged Alternatives, democratic education, Democratic schools, Reform
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The Singapore Ministry of Education says, “Teach Less, Learn More is about teaching better, to engage our learners and prepare them for life, rather than teaching more for tests and examinations.” Their website contains such refreshing gems as:
-TLLM aims to touch the hearts and engage the minds of our learners, to prepare them for life.
-It is about shifting the focus from
‘Restoring Value’ to the High School Diploma: The Rhetoric and Practice of Higher Standards, a new report raises serious questions about the standards and testing movement as a vehicle for reforming high schools. It starts, “Four themes emerge from the fray: that standards and rigor are too low; that the high school has lost its relevance, particularly to future employment; that the high school is inequitable; and that the high school is simply boring.” 
It finds the arguments of “rigor” simplistic. Most standards and tests measure the narrow curriculum confines of the late 19th Century and stress breadth rather than depth. They suggest:
-New models of rigor aside from conventional test-based and course-based conceptions.
-Examining the inequality of standards as applied to neglected issues of raising achievement for the lowest-performing students.
-Alternatives to the conventional academic program be more seriously considered. They recommend “multiple pathways through high school.
The authors W. Norton Grubb and Jeannie Oakes, both professors at the U. of California, prepared the October, 2007 report and an executive summary for the Education and the Public Interest Center (EPIC) and the Education Policy Research Unit (EPRU).
Doing School Choice Right, a new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education states, “Choice programs will not be implemented easily or even cheaply. The surest way to help guarantee their success will be conscious, well-thought-out strategies drawing on the best thinking of the worlds of government and philanthropy. And perhaps the surest way to encourage their failure is to implement choice programs quickly, carelessly and cheaply, optimistic that at some point things will all work out for the best.” 
The report billed as “preliminary findings” begins with questions: “Will school choice be the end of public education? Or will it be the salvation of thousands of students who would otherwise fail in district-run schools? There is only one honest answer: it all depends.” They promise further studies around choice: funding, parent information, impact on children, performance accountability and other areas.
A related report is School Choice: Doing it the Right Way Makes a Difference by the the First National Commission on Choice in K-12 Education.
In a stunning development, the Community College Baccalaureate Association fosters the conferring of a traditionally earned four year degree from community colleges, which traditionally offer a two year degree.
They say: “The baccalaureate degree is an important entry requirement for the better jobs and a better lifestyle. Therefore, every person should have an opportunity to pursue the baccalaureate degree at a place that is convenient, accessible and affordable. We will … promote the community college baccalaureate degree to governors, state legislatures, national policy boards, and other appropriate persons and organizations.”
The book The Community College Baccalaureate: Emerging Trends and Policy Issues edited by Deborah Floyd et al provides a useful source of information on this movement.
Such is the state of innovation and competition in higher education today. Now, imagine coupling the early college movement with the community college baccalaureate degree. A student could theoretically complete a college education in a much shorter period of time at far less personal expense than the traditional eight years of high school and college!
One of the newest stars in the education constellation is combining secondary education with college and it has taken off dramatically. In just one major program this year, 159 schools in 24 states operate with an expected 100,000 students served at 250 sites within the next few years. What are early college programs? 
Early college schools are partnerships between public secondary schools and higher education institutions. These small schools are designed so that students accumulate high school and college credit simultaneously. Going beyond typical dual enrollment programs, the early college curriculum is a coherent unit, with high school and college-level work blended into a single academic program that positions students to leave high school with one to two years of college credit. This initiative funded by conventional revenues but augmented by numerous foundations aims at breakthroughs with youth underrepresented in college enrollments.
A stunning example of using almost every progressive reform idea is that of the Empowering Students program of the Georgia state colleges. It begins in the 7th grade with schools on college campuses, uses students as resources, involves community volunteers, integrates curriculum and impressively raises student aspirations.
This astonishing movement is a striking example of an institutional bypass! A major initiative is coordinated by the Early College High School program of Jobs for the Future. There are others as has been noted on this weblog earlier.
A national opinion poll conducted in March, 2008 of 800 registered voters found that 81% of parents support having more public school options for their children. The poll conducted by The Glover Park Group for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools also found 60% support for charter schools.
This finding affirms the mission of IALA: to lead, promote and support learning alternatives in education.
Many have noted the near impossibility of changing district schools. Many have tried. Billions (literally) have been spent on the effort. Despite small and temporary changes, there is virtually nothing to show for the exertion in the past 100 years. That’s why alternatives, charters, vouchers and other choice programs have arisen–or an institutional bypass, if you will.
Now, Boston with $400,000 of foundation support will expand their Pilot Schools program by reducing regulations on another series of schools. Schools will be freer to make program changes, alter staffing configuration, control staffing and determine budget allocations. This move long known in the trade as site based decision making often ends up as a tepid non-event because central offices (and often unions) will not support delegation of authority to that degree.
The only hope for new kinds of schools lies with alternatives of various kinds. However, a full blown program of the type Boston proposes has possibilities of bringing reform into a school district. Time will tell whether the bureaucracy smothers another reform.
A new study School Choice: Evidence and Recommendations by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice is a set of papers by leading scholars on the topic including the most recent information on:
-Philosophical frameworks
-Legislation
-Litigation
-Policy
-Funding of advocacy
-Working conditions
-Innovations
-Race, class and achievement
-Impact on traditional education
A good summary of the topics. The study provides hope for the future of alternatives but raises cautions.
Many students identified as at-risk become dropouts from school. Most of the discussion about dropouts focuses on characteristics of the students with little examination of the policies and practices of schools that contribute to student failure. Those policies and practices represent the second side of the story about why so many students dropout or give up. Revision of school policies can contribute greatly to student success.
The Iowa Dept. of Education and the Iowa Association of Alternative Education created the Inventory of Policies & Practices Related to Student Failure and Dropping Out defining over 50 policies and practices that contribute to student failure. This powerful tool helps in the review of school policies and in creating new policies to increase student success. This carefully developed inventory is free and can be modified to fit local needs. Also included is a student questionnaire for their views.
Dr. Ray Morley on a recent webcast (see below) reported on this excellent tool on crucial factors impacting student dropouts and what unfortunately may result in “push outs.”
Posted on March 26, 2008 at 10:06 am
under Alternatives, Assessment, At risk programs, High schools, Iowa Assoc. Alt Ed, Morley, Ray, Personalized Educ, Policy, Reform, Reports, Research, Students
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Ray Morley, long time educator on alternatives and at-risk and IALA board member presented an informative webcast March 25, 3:30-4:30 EST on Solutions to the Dropout Crisis, Policies and Practices Related to Student Failure and Dropping Out: Tools and Resources. The program was sponsored by National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Clemson University and Penn Foster.The program was archived in its entirety on the Web site and is available in case you missed the March 25 broadcast.
Information about participating in dropout professional development opportunities is at www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast. If you have further questions, feel free to contact the National Dropout Prevention Center or 864
The 2001 