Speech Title

1
Every Student a College Ready Graduate Presented
by Tom Vander Ark Philanthropy Roundtable, 2005
2
The Bill Melinda Gates Foundation is partnering
with states and communities to -create new
schools -improve existing schools-improve
governance/policyto ensure that all students
graduate ready for college, work, and citizenship
3
Only 32 of American high school students will
graduate from high school with the skills they
need to succeed in college or work

• According to a 2003 Public Agenda poll, most
  employers say high school graduates lack basic
  skills more than 60 rate graduates skills in
  spelling, writing and basic math as fair or
  poor
• More than half of all students who enter college
  take remedial courses

NOTE Manhattan Institute defined college ready
as "basic" reading ability and accumulation of
credits typically required for community college
without remediation.
4
African American and Hispanic high school
students are least likely to acquire the skills
they need
Percentage of 9th graders that fail to graduate
ready for college
90
86
80
84
80
70
60
63
62
50
44
40
43
38
30
20
24
20
10
0
American Indian
Hispanic
African-American
White
Asian-American
Source Manhattan Institute, 2003
5
Large Comprehensive High Schools Were Not
Designed to Demonstrate the 3 Rs
Traditional High School High Performing School
Tracking Rigor Boredom Relevance Isolation
Relationships
6
2 Secondary Improvement Strategies

• Curriculum Instruction
• Example Equity 2000
• Components college prep core, measurement
• Results more college ready grads, flat grad
  rates

• Options
• Adopt a model (FTF, TD, AC)
• Home grown TA

Key learning both must be combined

• Small Learning Communities
• Example Federal SLC grants, Carnegie/Gates
  grants
• Components teaming, reduced load, advisory
• Results improved persistence, flat achievement
  levels

7
Districts Need a Theory of Action a school
system or system of schools?
Informed Point of View
Theory of Action
Implementation Approaches
Traditional district Hybrid Charter district
Theory of education Theory of organization Theory
of change
One best system
District managed
Outside assistance
Outside operators
Portfolio approach

• Key questions
• What options should students have (academic,
  thematic, student-centered)?
• How to build capacity for school
  development/improvement?

8
Portfolio Managers Create High Demand/Support
around a Theory of Action

• High Demand
• Mission goals purpose focus
• Governance boundaries clarity
• Accountability incentives consequences
• School choice customer response

• High Support
• Adequate and flexible budget allocations
• Learning and support networks
• Quality provided and purchased services
• Leader/teacher recruitment/development
• Adequate, flexible, safe facilities

Theory of Action portfolio of options
9
Portfolio of Options
Student-Centered Schools
Academic Schools
Maya Angelou, Wash. DC
Thematic Schools
Cristo Rey, Chicago 
Museum School, NY
10
We increasingly invest in new school developers
with tight designs and management control
CMOs
Franchise
Design Team
Specific or tight design
Majority of new investments
School design
Majority of existing investments
Loose design (e.g., design principles)
Management control of schools
Tight control (true ownership)
Loose control (affiliation)
11
Lessons Learned Inform Our Work Today

• Starting a new small school is difficult
• Turning around a struggling high school is even
  harder
• Charter schools are creating important proof
  points, but have had limited direct reach
• Transforming districts requires a theory of
  action, supplemented capacity, and sustained
  commitment
• Building a supportive policy context is critical
  for sustained, catalytic success

12
We Need a Charter Quality Initiative in TX (OH,
CA)

• Close failing charters
• Support struggling charters
• Replicate successful charters
• Improve information outreach

13
Entirely If we could get the hang of it
entirely It would take too long And if the
world were black or white entirely And all the
charts were plain Instead of a mad weir of
tigerish waters, A prism of delight and pain, We
might be surer where we wished to go Or again we
might be merely Bored but in brute reality there
is no Road that is right entirely. Louis
MacNeice, March 1940