The Biggest Winner Math Challenge – Results Don’t Lie
In a prior blog post we described a school-wide community initiative, developed in New Orleans, called The Biggest Winner Math Challenge that produces gains in math scores by engaging and focusing students on individualized goals. The Biggest Winner Math Challenge campaign was launched in 2 elementary schools within the Algiers Charter School Association(ACSA) network. ACSA is […]
On the Ground in a Turnaround – Results Don’t Lie
(This is a long blog post. You can read it or scan the graphs or play the videos or click the links. It is one story of the successful turnaround of a failing charter school in Massachusetts) There have been reports and research studies that clearly show that many public school systems are failing children, […]
Learning Analytics Can Deliver Double Digit Student Performance Gains
Too many school leaders have not yet embraced the power of “Learning Analytics“ and data to guide the turnaround and transformation of their schools. When a school leader is faced with the challenge of turning around or transforming a low performing school they may try many tools, techniques, technologies and strategies. But without a solid […]
A 2016 Moon Shot – Revitalizing the Nation One Community at a Time
Education Reform is a Start but it is Not Enough Reforming education alone will not revitalize lower income communities across the US. Creating meaningful career paths and job opportunities for young people of color provide the best motivation for their continued focus on schooling and educational persistence. Education reform policies that ignore job creation in […]
Another Inconvenient and Unfortunate Truth – A Failed Moon Shot
In these days leading up to the 2016 election, it is difficult to avoid news events created by the presidential candidates scrambling for our attention and vote. In election season, forgotten neighborhoods are visited, promises of a great future are made and the pains of communities wounded by racial injustice and institutional neglect become the […]
Innovations from New Orleans – Results Don’t Lie
Last week Louisiana released their 2015 state K – 8 Math and ELA assessment results. These long awaited student academic performance scores, based on the new Common Core state assessments (PARCC), are the culmination of nearly three years of preparation by many educators in Louisiana. Not only has the “expectations” bar moved much higher, but […]
Reprinted – The Student as Individual Framework
Does equal opportunity for all mean that we are all the same? Does it mean that high school students share the same goals? Travel the same academic path? Have the same abilities and interests? Of course not. It is time that the debate on education reform focus on the student as an individual and not […]
Another Inconvenient and Unfortunate Truth: Race Matters – Part 1
During the past few years there has been a marked rise in racially charged events. The nearly monthly police shootings of black men has unleashed a national conversation about issues of race, discrimination and systemic indifference to the disparity in income and incarceration of people of color, especially African Americans. This is in stark contract […]
A Wheel of Fortune: Charter School Purchasing Power
As education reform strives to level the playing field for under-served populations, some effort should also be made to support job creation activities in lower income communities throughout the US. Charter schools have been lauded as innovative alternatives to traditional public schools. Several reports show they are having a positive impact on learning, especially for […]
Rules of Engagement and The Biggest Winner Challenge
When a School Leader in New Orleans wanted a rapid rise in math scores she turned to Ed Inquiry to create a school-wide “campaign” of change. The campaign, called The Biggest Winner Challenge, resulted in math score increases of 22% in 1 year in target grades. Students, teachers and parents were actively engaged in the […]
