News We're Following

03.04.10

15 States Plus D.C. Are Named Race to the Top Finalists

The candidates will come to Washington later this month to make their pitches for part of the $4 billion pot of economic-stimulus grants.

U.S. Teachers More Interested in Reform Than Money

U.S. teachers are more interested in school reform and student achievement than their paychecks, according to a massive new survey.

Obama Takes Aim at School Dropout Rates

President Obama announced a $900 million federal investment in states and schools systems that take dramatic steps to address the lowest performing schools and improve graduation rates.

New Plan Will Let High Schoolers Graduate Early

Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college.

Education System Overhaul Outlined

Education Pioneers Alumnus, Matt Lyons, worked on legislation featured in Chicago Tribune article:

While Illinois residents are focused on election season and budget woes, the state's top education officials have quietly pushed through a sweeping agenda that will transform how students are tested, teachers are rated and failing schools are fixed.

Making a Healthy Lunch, and Making It a Cause

Education Pioneers Alumna,Kristin Groos Richmond, featured in the New York Times:

Between them, Kristin Richmond and Kirsten Tobey have worked on Wall Street, traveled the world and taught school from East Africa to Ecuador. Now they make lunch for a living.

Friends since they met in business school at the University of California, Berkeley, Ms. Richmond and Ms. Tobey founded Revolution Foods Inc. to ride a political and economic wave: surging support for healthier food in school cafeterias.

Obama to Seek $1.35 Billion Race to Top Expansion

President Barack Obama will seek $1.35 billion in next year’s budget to expand the Race to the Top competition, paving the way for the popular economic-stimulus grant program to become a permanent part of the administration’s education arsenal.

What Makes A Great Teacher?

For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others can’t. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data.

The Mind Trust Announces Selection of Two New Education Entrepreneur Fellows

Education Pioneers' Alumnus, Jesse Hahnel, wins prestigious Mind Trust Education Entrepreneur Fellowship to launch the Foster Youth Education Initiative:

The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based non-profit supporting education innovation and entrepreneurship, announced the selection of two new Education Entrepreneur Fellows today. The Fellowship acts as a national incubator for transformative education ventures. Two talented entrepreneurs were recently selected from an applicant pool of 405 people from 44 states and 20 countries. As Fellows, the entrepreneurs receive two years of salary ($90,000/year) with full benefits, a start-up stipend, and ongoing support from The Mind Trust Board and staff, enabling them to develop, build, and launch their initiatives in Indianapolis and nationwide.

Download the Mind Trust press release (pdf).

News We're Following

12.11.09

New Teacher-Evaluation Systems Face Obstacles

Education Pioneers Alumna, Sheri Frost Leo, quoted in Education Week:

Buoyed by the promise of federal funding and a burgeoning dialogue about teacher effectiveness, districts are beginning to overhaul their evaluation systems to provide more finely grained information on teacher performance.