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Huffington Post column
Tom's regular Huffington Post column is a good way to keep up on the latest news from the frontline of ed reform advocacy. His most recent column is entitled "In Defense of the Good School Promise."
Keynote speech at iNACOL
In November, Tom joined the Board of INACOL, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.  His keynote address to the Virtual School Symposium outlines his vision for line learning journey and the emerging blended world.  You can check out his PPT presentation, "A Great Time to be Learning Online"
at the conference wikispace.
Foundation Impact
Innovative education investment strategies
10 biggest advances in 2010

Despite lagging state budgets, 2010 will be a year of great progress in American education but it will be difficult, contentious, and will stress skimpy state budgets and recovering foundation endowments.  Consider the ten following developments and a few related investment opportunities*:
 
1. Common Core will be adopted by almost every state and will lay the groundwork for a new generation of content and assessment 
  • A great opportunity for a design prize for assessment systems and new way of marking student progress (read more)
2. While not likely to come up for a vote in 2010, a framework for ESEA (that looks a lot like RttT) will emerge with an improved accountability and student support system
  • EEP and DFER will be key to teacher/leader effectiveness, strong accountability and school choice
3. Invest in Innovation grants will go to about 75 awardees
  • Applicants need a 20% match; NSVF is a great place for a matching fund
4. School Improvement Grants (SIG), in concert with RttT, will be the largest ever attempt at addressing chronic school failure
5. The combination of RttT, charter growth, and Gates Foundation deep dives will result in the dawn of a new employment bargain
6.  The National EdTech Plan will be a great framework for coinvesting in improved achievement
  • VA/R is developing EduInnovation.org to highlight innovation
7.  Online learning will serve 5% of US students, hold out states will join the party, and engaging personalized content will emerge
8. The launch of a generation of blended schools that combine the best of online learning with onsite support
  • Rocketship Education in San Jose
  • Vailsburg Prep (Newark), the first City Prep school
  • Blended charters will play a key role in turnarounds/restarts
9. Platforms that combine social learning, content, and services will achieve scale
  • Ascendent platforms will require coordinated philanthropic and venture capital
10. And finally, the mother of all grant programs; Race to the Top awards will be made in two phases to about 18 states and, in doing so, will set the standard for excellence in state policy and lay the groundwork for ESEA reauthorization.   More than half of the states will make significant policy changes in preparation for application or after being rejected.  (email Tom if you want his current RttT handicap). In addition to many of the organizations mentioned, foundations should consider:
Contact us if you'd like to discuss your innovation strategy or any of these great organizations.
 
Sincerely,
 
Tom, Karen, Bennet, Melissa
This newsletter features information on the work of organizations we admire and work with.  Some of the above-mentioned organizations are clients of VA/R.