How ironic: School formed by Obama advisor closed

Radical education ideas didn’t translate into better education

Charter schools provided the evidence

During the past presidential campaign, now President Obama relied on Stanford school of education guru Linda Darling-Hammond as his advisor on education matters. Ms. Darling-Hammond has been at the forefront of radical education reform for many years.

Among other things, Ms. Darling-Hammond was instrumental in forming the Stanford New School, a California charter that would showcase all the thinking from the Stanford School of Education.

Many educators thought that, surely, this would be a winner of a school.

It has not turned out that way.

Now, due to low student performance, Education News reports that the Stanford New School’s charter will not be renewed.

While this clearly shows that radical education ideas, many still favored by some educators here in Kentucky, don’t pan out well, it does not show that the charter school concept is wrong. Far from it!

In fact, this is a great example that charter schools can provide compelling information on what does, and does not, work in real practice. All those Stanford School of Ed theories just collided with reality, and we get to benefit from the knowledge precisely because California does have charter schools where such practical examples can be worked out.