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Joel Klein's case for having the private sector innovate within schools

Interesting enrollment data from latest census. Check out the estimated K enrollment at private school...2.2%

Thanks Jason for posting this. Also, I was surprised to learn that "by 2050 residents over age 65 are expected to outnumber school-age kids nationwide."

Big companies like Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) are involved. Affordability is made high through 3-5yr contract with monthly payments. ''Child centric concepts'' are widely being accepted the article says. The challenge they mention here is internet connectivity. No mention about PD or reaction from parents. Also there seem to be still a wide gap in access between private schools and public schools there. 

Seems like it's written by an IBM publicist, but still interesting to see private sector investment following Race to the Top funding.

For the business-type folks in the class, McGraw-Hill just sold its Education division to a private equity company. They think that education will continue to be a good investment.

Yeah, I thought it was weird. I looked into that--I think the sale is to a different "Apollo" group. UPhoenix is something like "Apollo Group" whereas McGraw Hill sold their division to "Apollo Global Management". I think they are different entities, but it is hard to tell. If they are the same organization, it is definitely a weird sign of shifting investments.

Cole, you're absolutely right, I missed that Apollo Global Mgmt is a VC firm.

A couple of youth-oriented websites settled with the government recently because of COPPA (law that protects children's private information online, if they are under 13yo). Now legislatures want to expand COPPA, so it may significantly impact learning games developers, too.

Author makes predictions for 2012, including increase in blended learning. A video of PBS Newshour speaks of school choices in Indiana - public school in other areas, private school, or public charter school with military rituals.

"Yet one of the most significant things Sahlberg said passed practically unnoticed. "Oh," he mentioned at one point, "and there are no private schools in Finland." This notion may seem difficult for an American to digest, but it's true. Only a small number of independent schools exist in Finland, and even they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees. There are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person in Finland attends public school, whether for pre-K or a Ph.D."

Equity in teaching education would be a good start.

I love this quote, too: 'As for accountability of teachers and administrators, Sahlberg shrugs. "There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."' American's are SO good at blaming everything and everyone ELSE for what is wrong with education in this country. Good for Sahlberg. I might just have to move my family to Finland!

Indian college classrooms have not integrated technology into learning and teaching, so private companies - teaching the skills needed to perform in their specific career paths - are taking the lead, showing that universities need to catch up.

Media tablets, private cloud computing, and 3D flat-panel TVs and displays are some of the technologies that have moved into the Peak of Inflated Expectations, according to the 2010 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle by Gartner, Inc.

Interesting to see public virtual worlds in the "trough of disillusionment," poised for "enlightenment," while augmented reality is nearing the "peak of inflated expectations," heading for a crash.

While we are debating e-learning, developing countries are forging ahead, including engaging private sector, setting up long term strategy and policy, and starting Asia e University. "Think of it this way. We are preparing them for jobs that don't yet exist and for technologies that haven't been invented," Policarpio, Philippine Education Dept. official, says. He also compares what we do at Harvard stating that there is a big difference in accessing resources vs. e-learning., "For example, Harvard and Yale have an online portal for learning-a place where they can share their lectures and reports online. But those are just resources anyone can access. e-learning goes beyond that. It melds all kinds of academic activities with ICT (Information and Communication Technology)."

Interesting article related to our discussion about infrastructure buildout. Check out the discussion of Bridge International Schools - their model is completely dependent on mobile technology.

Some interesting data on where private equity is going by stage and funder in the edtech space.

Other than equipping students with both iPads and laptops and teaching digital citizenship, it seems like the same old preservationist classrooms with new gadgets

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing emphasis on girls and information and communication technology in the development sector. Large government donors, NGOs and the private sector believe girls could play a big role in resolving poverty and making development gains through ICT.

Wow, thanks for this link, Uche. I think that's a really interesting business they have going...kind of a way to spread best practices that in private industry might be spread via other means. It seems to address the PD / collaboration issue mentioned in NETP, too.

wow, great idea....I really like this model! This is can be great incentive for teachers to put their best work out there... and they finally recognized for their creativeness!

An unfortunate article about student understanding in which the author thinks the only solution is a private tutor. How can we address this through technology? What technologies can change this issue in the classroom? How can we offer students personalized help?

This page contains a video and case study of Katy Independent School district's integration of mobile technology into the classrooms.

This is the parents link to the Katy Independent School District Site. There is a link from this page to a PDF containing guidelines for mobile technology usage at Katy.

This is the initiative with which I am interning. I used to work at Friends Academy and with Katherine Gaudet and she has organized a robust initiative. It should be very interesting to see how this develops over the next two years.