Publications

The design of America’s schools needs to shift from adult-centered and standardized to student-centered and individualized. This report examines the academic and historical research that supports the need for the transition to student-centered learning.

Where exactly does chartering fit, in the strategy for public education? Across America that question is rising, as in a number of big cities the charter sector gets larger and as the local districts are losing enrollment. In this commentary in the StarTribune, Ted Kolderie looks at four current answers to the question—and suggests a fifth, more practical answer.

The Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs invited Ted Kolderie to discuss how innovation is key to systemic change in public education and how schools must resist 'the pressure for sameness'. Kolderie called upon the 'alternative' sector to share its accomplishments in innovation—thus validating the sector and making clear that what is happening there is essential for change and improvement in the mainline district sector. This is his speech.

Much of the discussion about 'what's working' suggests that students learn because the school is district, charter, parochial or whatever. This is bizarre. Clearly, students learn from what goes on in the school; from its curriculum, pedagogy, materials and teachers. This report begins to sketch a taxonomy that gets at these more meaningful school properties.

An analysis of two innovative chartered schools in Minnesota, including a financial analysis which shows this innovation is possible at a net cost well below district schools of similar demographics. By Charles Kyte, a former superintendent and executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators.

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.

This paper explains the 'how' of achieving greater innovation with Information Technologies in schools. The problem is one of structure, and requires both a redesign of schools and of the system. Recommendations are made for states and the federal government.

The assignment to K-12 has changed from "access" to "achievement." Unfortunately, our schools were built to provide students the opportunity to learn, not to ensure that they did. If we insist that our schools do this different job we will have to create new school models that make that possible.

System-level reforms like standards, accountability, choice and chartering make it more necessary for schools to succeed with learning. But these reforms do not by themselves affect achievement. Kids learn from what they read, see, hear and do. So success in the effort at improvement requires capitalizing now on the system-level changes with a major effort to create new forms of school.