By Rachel Kelly, CEI Intern Play. Before attending elementary school, Finnish children go to daycare. Instead of formally teaching children about math or reading, the centers allow the children to play. The idea is teach children social skills, which is considered more important than academic skills when beginning elementary school. Young children remain in daycare longer than in other countries, and do not start elementary school until the age of seven. Schools without Subje

On Inauguration Day 2017, we pause for a moment to ask our colleagues about their hopes and dreams for schools. In 2017 and the years to come. Peter Senge, the brilliant systems thinker from MIT and author of Schools that Learn, observed: ‘Aspiration does not come easily in most school settings. It must be deliberately cultivated.’  We believe that this need to motivate/stimulate ‘aspiration’ applies to many circumstances ‘“ in schools and in society. As many gurus of organiz

By Jordan Gilliard, CEI Intern This is the first of a series of articles on inequities in education. In this article Jordan Gilliard addresses funding concerns in one school district in VA. As Ms. Gilliard says in her closing paragraph, “across the country, students of color are receiving a poorer quality than their white counterparts...we can shape the conversation now.” Christine Mason What is fair and equitable? Education is normally seen as a state or local political issu

By Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director The President Reflects. President Obama in his Presidential Proclamation of Martin Luther King Day 2017 stated, “As we reflect on Dr. King’s legacy, we celebrate a man and a movement that transformed our country, and we remember that our freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of others. Given the causes he championed — from civil rights and international peace to job creation and economic justice — it is right that today we hon

By Christine Mason Charter Schools Emerge in America I remember back about a decade or so, when charter schools emerged. KIPP provides a wonderful example. The creation of a college-prep charter school in Harlem made a significant difference in the lives of many children. Yet, as charter schools grew in popularity there has been an on-going concern that these charters might be a vehicle to use public funds for a privileged few. Thankfully, for the most part charters have grow