Expand Supply of Great Schools
To achieve dramatic improvement, we need a supply of great schools that educate children at the highest levels. Public Impact’s work currently focuses on three strategies to boost that supply:
Stimulating the supply of new options. Existing organizations are difficult to change. That’s why research shows that across industries, many of the dramatic innovations and improvements come from new organizations entering the field. We need that same kind of dynamic in public education. If we set a high quality bar and retain only successful new schools, charter schools and other new schools hold great promise.
Scaling-up success. Examples of successful schools abound – including a multitude of excellent schools serving the most disadvantaged children. But too often, these schools remain single-site success stories. Education needs a stronger cadre of organizations with the capacity to scale up successful models.
Improving existing schools. Though efforts to improve existing schools have often fallen short and created change-weary school staff, a growing base of research tells us what it takes to improve successfully. We need to apply the best thinking from across industries to this task. Our policymakers also must act strategically when schools under-perform after years of intervention. That means getting smart about what improvement strategies work best under different circumstances.
