Publications

Ideas matter. In addition to our work with clients, Bellwether Education Partners generates and gathers ideas and policy solutions, analyzes ongoing reform efforts, and writes about and discusses education and education reform. We believe that the work we do to improve education for all students benefits from thought leadership, analysis, and thoughtful discourse around emerging ideas, in order to help challenge leaders and leading organizations to think differently and improve, to coordinate efforts where possible, to inform policymakers and improve the political and policy context, and to share successful approaches with the public education field at large.

Authors

Obama’s Education Legacy for America’s Youngest Kids: Too Little, Too Late

December 3, 2011

Publication

The New Republic -- When Barack Obama ran for president, he claimed that improving early childhood education would be a hallmark of his education reform agenda. Unfortunately, his policies in office have not lived up to that promise.

The Latest Wrinkle in College Admissions

December 1, 2011

Publication

TIME.com -- State schools are increasingly recruiting out-of-state students who pay higher fees. But is this fair?

Forget Wall Street. Go Occupy Your Local School District

November 17, 2011

Publication

TIME.com -- Our nation’s schools are a larger cause of economic inequality than investment banks and CEOs.

Taking the First Steps to Build an Innovation Culture

November 16, 2011

Publication

Government agencies need to be more innovative, especially when tackling social issues like poor educational attainment, crime, or homelessness. Over the last five weeks, this series has set out five keys to unlocking an innovation culture: leadership, finance, permeability, incentives, and planning.

But where should an agency that wants to promote a culture of innovation start? Today we set out four initial steps agencies can take to launch a culture of innovation.

How Should We Pay Teachers?

November 10, 2011

Publication

TIME.com -- Do they earn too little — or too much? The pay question has no easy answers

Developing a Plan to Change Agency Culture

November 9, 2011

Publication

Planning Is the Fifth and Final Ingredient to Promoting a Culture of Innovation in Government Agencies

New Grades On Charter Schools

November 3, 2011

Publication

TIME.com -- The two most common criticisms about charter schools are that A) many of them aren’t that good and B) the good ones can’t be replicated to serve enough kids to really make a difference. TIME got an exclusive first look at the most comprehensive evaluation of charter school networks ever...

Incentives and Responsiveness

November 2, 2011

Publication

Two Specific Ways to Better Align the Incentives for Innovation in Government.

Who’s Minding the Gap?

October 27, 2011

Publication

TIME.com -- No Child Left Behind may have been faulty, but we still need to close the achievement gap.

An Open Agency Culture Is Key to Innovation

October 26, 2011

Publication

Making your agency or organization into a center for innovation requires nothing less than a cultural transformation. You must change your agency from a cloistered, bureaucratic environment to an open and free-flowing organization committed to finding the best innovations.