Innovation and the federal role

Tough on ed innovation and the federal role --- We think that in his recent commentary Paul Tough is asking the right questions about the federal government as a venture funder for education innovation: Should Congress finance unproven but promising experiments to fix America’s troubled education system? How much evidence does the government need before trying something new? Should there be airtight proof that a pioneering program works before federal money is committed? Is it sometimes worth investing in promising but unproven innovations? We think there is a new emerging fed role in R&D and innovation as demonstrated by i3. Tell the Sourcerer what do you think.

Racing to the Top and Beyond

The Knowledge-able Sourcerer congratulates the nine states and the District of Columbia for their winning applications in the round 2 Race to the Top (RttT) competition at the US Department of Education. The competition was extremely intense and challenging over the past 12 months. We are hopeful that the immense reform efforts that were triggered by this program will reap lasting benefits for all involved. We also hope that Congress will take notice of the unprecedented interest in this incentive-based program and continue to fund it in the years ahead. Kudos to the Obama Administration and the US Department of Education for a very difficult job well done.