Breakout #4: Schools Hit the Big Screen: Influencing the Public Mindset

Participants at NewSchools Summit got a sneak preview today of  three new documentary films that highlight both the failure of public schools to serve minority students and the efforts of visionary entrepreneurs to provide underserved children with a first rate education. Waiting for Superman, Teached and The Lottery are set to hit the big screen […]

Breakout #3: Political Savvy: Guidebook for a New Landscape

Answering the question of whether or not education entrepreneurial organizations should get involved in advocating directly for policy change was the topic of Breakout #3: Political Savvy: Guidebook for a New Landscape. This conversation seemed especially timely coming on the heels of intense debate about Colorado’s SB 191, which would tie teacher’s tenure to student […]

Breakout #1: District and State Partnership – Boon or Detriment for Entrpreneurship?

Resolved: Entrepreneurs and Systems must Partner to Achieve Widespread Improvement This afternoon, a spirited oxford-style debate took place to examine this resolution.  Under the direction of moderator Mashea Ashton, CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, the panel examined whether partnerships with districts and states were necessary for the success of entrepreneurial education organizations and […]

Scaling Impact: Answering the Administration’s Call

Susan Colby of The Bridgespan Group took audience members on a brief

More Heat than Light

For evidence that the terrain has shifted for education entrepreneurs, one need look no further than last week’s much-publicized hearing convened by State Senator Bill Perkins (D-Harlem) in downtown Manhattan. In what has been described as hours of “volatile” and “testy” debate, supporters and opponents of New York charter schools traded barbs over charges of fiscal […]