Courtesy of The 74 Million
https://www.the74million.org/
Transcript
Joel Klein’s vision for educational reform emphasized competition and accountability, leveraging entrepreneurial talent to improve school systems. He advocated for school choice as a means to drive systemic change, empowering parents and encouraging innovation among educators. The Walton Family Foundation’s strategy focuses on investing in entrepreneurs to increase the number of high-quality school seats in 13 cities. They recognize that while choice is necessary, it is insufficient without additional support for parent engagement, data transparency, and better decision-making by authorizers. Projections suggest the charter movement could serve 10 million students by 2030, necessitating the identification and support of new education entrepreneurs to achieve this scale.
Action Items
- [ ] Continue investing in entrepreneurs and educators who have a different vision for delivering education.
- [ ] Raise up parent voice and bring partners to the table who have the most to lose if the system doesn’t improve.
- [ ] Provide data around student performance at the city level and think about how transportation works in cities to support the choice model.
- [ ] Motivate better decisions by authorizers and serve the most vulnerable students in creative ways.
- [ ] Stay focused on finding and investing in entrepreneurs who can push the vision forward, while also addressing the necessary preconditions for their scalable success.
Outline
Joel Klein’s Vision for School System Reform
- Marc Sternberg discusses Joel Klein’s belief that competition is beneficial for large systems like the New York City Department of Education, as it brings positive tension and drives improvement.
- Joel Klein emphasized the importance of holding schools accountable for outcomes, which he believed could be achieved through school choice.
- The strategy involved empowering parents to choose where their children attend school by tapping into the talent of entrepreneurs who could deliver better results with the same resources.
- Joel Klein’s approach appealed to his intellectual understanding of antitrust and disruption, aiming to improve the system by disrupting it.
Investing in Entrepreneurs and Educators
- Marc Sternberg highlights the need to invest in entrepreneurs and educators with different visions who can deliver schools more effectively.
- The vision includes charter schools, private schools, and traditional district schools as proof points that can inspire systemic change.
- The strategy focuses on the school as the unit of change, with continued investment in entrepreneurs and support for increasing the number of seats in 13 cities.
- The new approach acknowledges that choice is necessary but not sufficient; other preconditions, such as raising parent voice and partnering with advocates, are essential.
Supporting Parents and Partners
- Marc Sternberg emphasizes the importance of raising parent voice and investing in partners who have a stake in the success of the system.
- Activities include providing data on student performance, rethinking transportation, and motivating better decisions by authorizers.
- The goal is to serve vulnerable students creatively and produce better outcomes for all students.
- The focus remains on the fundamentals of finding and investing in entrepreneurs while considering necessary preconditions for scalable success.
Projections for Charter School Growth
- Marc Sternberg mentions projections that the charter movement will serve 10 million students by 2030, up from 3 million currently.
- The challenge is to find the seats and the operators to meet this demand.
- Existing charter school operators with strong track records can only meet a portion of the projected need.
- The focus shifts to identifying and supporting the next generation of charter management organizations and education entrepreneurs.
Staying Focused on New Ideas
- Marc Sternberg stresses the importance of staying open to new ideas and not being the ones to have all the solutions.
- The next generation of entrepreneurs will likely bring new concepts and approaches to schooling.
- The conversation concludes with a sense of optimism and a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in education.