IALA » Gates Foundation

School Choice is the Wave of the Future

Wayne Jennings — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:43:20 +0000

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.

Small Learning Communities

Wayne Jennings — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 17:29:14 +0000

Rethinking High School: Inaugural Graduations at New York City

New Schools: KIPP and Cristo Rey

Wayne Jennings — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:45:36 +0000

Two rapidly expanding types of schools are attracting much attention for their breakthrough efforts to serve low income minority students. The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) of mostly public elementary and middle grades serves some 12,000 students at 52 sites around the country with considerable support from various foundations. Students attend school from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. plus every other Saturday and a month during summer for 60% more instructional hours. Many are charter schools to circumvent local policies, regulations and contracts. Leaders for the school are given a one-year training program. A recent substantive article by Paul Tough in the New York Times describes the efforts by KIPP and others to achieve despite discouraging research about low income students’ impoverished beginnings. See the San Francisco school in a video. News: Kipp received a $65 million foundation grants for expansion to a total of 42 schools in Houston.

The Cristo Rey network of private urban high schools provides a program where the school contracts with businesses to employ students who work one day a week with 4 other students filling in the other days of the week to create one complete position. The businesses pay the school $27,000 for each position which covers much of the student’s tuition cost. Additional funding comes from foundations. The Cristo Rey schools report excellent academic results, high rates of graduation, high percentages of students entering postsecondary programs and students motivated by the real-world experiences. The network received a substantial Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to expand to 23 schools and 10,000 students around the nation. A 60 Minutes clip provides an overview.

Portfolio of Schools

Wayne Jennings — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 01:02:19 +0000

A promising development in offering a choice of diverse school models by districts could be promoted by a “portfolio of schools.” The portfolio or an array of school choices could include conventional schools, of course, but also offer parents and students online learning, magnet schools (health careers emphasis, for example), charter schools, a Montessori school, a high technology model, etc. Paul Hill promotes this approach in a 19 page Report, Put Learning First published by the Progressive Policy Institute. Hill describes how a district would change its administration, training, accountability and other practices to implement the approach. Already, a number of districts have a good start on this concept. Education Week has a good summary article, “Portfolio Idea Gaining Favor in Some Cities.”

Street Schools

Wayne Jennings — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 17:23:32 +0000

A group of “street schools” serve severe at-risk youth, usually students turned-out by other schools serving at-risk populations. The National Association of Street Schools has a membership of 43 schools serving some 3,000 students. All are private schools with a range of funding including the Gates Foundation’s Alternative High School Initiative. The first, the Denver Street School started 21 years ago in Denver by Tom Tillapaugh and received recognition in the U.S. Department March, 2006 issue of the Education Innovator. Another choice for learning.

Create New Schools

Wayne Jennings — Mon, 10 May 2004 19:07:59 +0000

Community Based Organizations (CBOs)have entered the education scene by sponsoring new charter schools. The YMCA of America, YouthBuild and the National Council of LaRaza are examples. YouthBuild received a $5.4 million Gates Foundation grant to establish 10 new schools to add to the network of 23 Youthbuild schools. How National Organizations and Their Affiliates Can Support the New Schools Strategy describes the backgound of this movement and provides details.

Schools within Schools

Wayne Jennings — Fri, 28 Nov 2003 17:41:38 +0000

A long standing practice to provide choices is the practice of creating schools within an existing school. For example, a large high school might have several subunits that serve as alternatives for students and staff. The Gates Foundation funds a large number of projects to carve large schools into smaller units, for example $55 million for Texas schools. A recent study by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education examines this movement in Cincinnati and Philadelphia for its effect on school culture, instruction and student performance.

For the most authoritative coverage of schools within schools, see Educational Alternatives for Everyone by Don Glines, specifically chapter 18. Don has been the voice for how schools can change for 40 years. Check him out!