The U.S. News and World Report – Frederick M. Hess and Michael McShane
“It has been said that the unofficial model of Silicon Valley is “let’s break sh*t.” Taxicab cartels? Let’s take ’em down. Airline reservations that require travel agents and printed tickets? See ya later. And as anyone who remembers scrambling to find a cab in the rain before Uber can attest, that kind of entrepreneurial creativity can improve our lives in important ways. Following a path blazed by the likes of KIPP, Edison Schools, Khan Academy and the Relay Graduate School of Education, entrepreneurs are today increasingly evident in the once-staid world of K-12 schooling. Needless to say, not everyone is happy about this turn of events. What can get lost amidst the fierce debates over charter schooling and technology, though, is just how different the entrepreneurial mindset is from the conventional approach to school improvement. Note that “different” doesn’t necessarily mean better – but we certainly don’t think it means worse. As we explain in our new book “Educational Entrepreneurship Today,” it does entail a way of thinking that fits uneasily in the world of K-12 schooling.”(more)