(Community Matters) I serve on the board of the KDK-Harman Foundation which is well-known for its emphasis on funding best-of-class, rigorous academic programs. I’ve also participated in lots of forums looking at successful programs. In Central Texas, we’re making significant, measurable progress with early childhood education, elementary and high school outcomes. And, it appears we’ll now prioritize middle school initiatives. So, the trend is favorable, if way overdue. Administrators need more autonomy – including the right to hire & fire teachers – and they should be held to objective standards. I’m unpersuaded about dictating curriculum, though there is no doubt that certain researched and tested curriculum consistently deliver outstanding results.
More successful nations maintain central control over standards and curriculum, but give local schools more freedom from regulation. The question for the U.S. is not just how many charter schools it establishes, but how to build the capacity for all schools to assume charter-like autonomy
Community Matters 