Innovation And Its Contents…

Don’t waste money buying Joe Williams dinner!  It turns out some of my colleagues are really cheap dates.     There was a  lot of swooning over the AFT’s new innovation fund last week.  Perhaps the best example is this gushing Newsweek piece but there was plenty of other press.  

Let’s be clear, this is a big deal in terms of a signal that the teachers’ unions leadership gets that they’re out of step and need some substantive changes.  But let’s also be clear that none of the edgy grantees everyone is excited about have, you know, actually done any of this yet.   And education reformers and social entrepreneurs should start to wise up to the Charlie Brown problem and exercise some healthy skepticism.   In other words, the proof will be in the actual design and execution of these ideas and that’s when the praise should flow liberally.  

Very much related, keep an eye on New Haven, Connecticut, some action there that is good news, is close to being real today, and is obviously AFT blessed.  Praise ’em for that!

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