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Evolution of Teacher Autonomy

This timeline traces the evolution of schools with teacher autonomy, since the 1980s. It documents the critical roles school districts, unions, and chartering laws have had since then, in developing teacher autonomy and greater professional roles for teachers.

Wasting Minds by Ronald A. Wolk

Wolk, founder of Education Week, draws on his three decades in school reform to make the case for a "new schools" strategy, focused on individualized instruction instead of an assembly line approach to learning.

Influence of Teachers by John Merrow

A new book by John Merrow asks whether improving the "quality of teachers" might best begin with improving the job of teaching. What would make teaching a better job?

Kolderie Talk to Knowledge Alliance, August 3rd

E|E's Ted Kolderie explains why sound policy requires true innovation, followed by “continuous improvement”. The two must exist together; we may not be able to afford a 'monoculture' in education policy.

Origins of Chartering Timeline

Albert Shanker and Ray Budde had the 'charter' idea early. Minnesota got it into law; seeing 'charter' not as a kind of school but as a platform for developing different schools. Use this timeline to learn more about the progress of the chartering idea.

Video: Clayton Christensen presents Disrupting Class to Education Commission of the States

Clayton Christensen, business professor at Harvard Business School, says: Improvement requires states to make room for disruptive innovation in public education.

U.S. Army Embraces Informal Learning

As the need for tacit knowledge to address non-routine situations rapidly increases, the U.S. Army has embraced informal, experiential learning that data show accounts for that 70 to 80 percent of the knowledge gained on the job. The pace of operations and the generation of best practices and lessons learned have outpaced any organization's capacity to develop, vet and approve formal curriculum. A new approach, advanced blended learning, allows for rapidly creating current and relevant content and engaging students in courses with learners in units.

Innovation-based Systemic Reform

In this latest policy paper Education|Evolving urges policymakers, in revising ESEA, to think of strategy as a "split screen". The only realistic approach is to pursue our differing goals at the same time. K-12 education must improve both its performance and its economics. It must work concurrently for equity and for excellence. It must improve traditional school while encouraging innovation beyond traditional school.

New Minnesota Site-Governed Schools Law

The 2009 Minnesota Legislature passed new "site-governed school" legislation, which provides school boards a "charter-like" option. A district board may approve "site-governed schools," which are provided significant autonomy and flexibility to develop new models of schools in exchange for greater accountability... all within the district under the prevue of the board.

Shifting from "What We Spend" to "How We Spend It"

The total cost of the education system is rising at about 5 to 8 percent per year. If schools are not at the same time increasing "performance" or "productivity," their real cost to the public is increasing. This relationship is not sustainable. To reconcile this problem, schools will need to be designed differently.

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