Two years ago when Cordell Steiner was in the third grade at a St. Paul suburban school district, he took a class from an entrepreneurial teacher that changed his life.  This five-minute TedX talk by Cordell is worth your time, believe me.

How far away is the “Ideal Learning System” for the 21st Century? It’s happening right now.  

You decide. We know the world is changing and that our K-12 public education system isn’t keeping up. We are delivering content in a 20th century model.  To keep up with a changing world, how do we create the learning tools to reframe, analyze, and apply that content?

You decide. Did you know that many skills taught in our public schools today are obsolete by graduation? Did you know that the US Dept of Labor estimates that today’s learners will have between 10 to 14 jobs by age 38?

Perhaps the most underutilized public school choice option in our country today is the opportunity for high school students to take college courses and obtain dual credit.  Why are these options important?

In today’s education debates, it’s hard to find agreement.  But the Kappan Gallup Poll shows that over 70% of Americans support public school choice, launched in Minnesota thirty years ago.  That’s worth celebrating!

How nice to receive this note of gratitude from Nina Rees, CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools:

Did you Know that India has more honors kids than America has kids? Did you know that China will be the largest English-speaking country in the world by 2016? Did you know that the US Department of Labor estimates that today’s learners will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38?

You may wonder why I’m wearing a beautiful robe from China as a keynote speaker for the Edison Learning Development Academy (ELDA) October 15.   I’m Croatian and German, with not a hint of Chinese in my heritage.

So said Thom Jackson, CEO of EdisonLearning, as he spoke to a gathering of their senior leaders at the Edison Leadership Development Academy in October.  “We are part of a massive war to change the future—and to change the lives of our kids.”    

Nothing tells a story better than pictures. That’s why I was fascinated as Graphic Facilitator Brandy Agerbeck of loosetooth.com drew the Pioneering Charter School Story in real time as I shared it with the senior leader attendees of the Edison Leadership Development Academy in Chicago, Illinois on October 15, 2014.

What a joy to present the opening keynote for Teacher Institute Days in August to the teachers of the brand new Minnesota Math and Science Academy (MMSA) in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The school opened September 2 with approximately 260 students in grades K-6 in a neighborhood near the state capitol.  Their beautiful facility, painted with bright, bold colors, has impressive technology and laboratory facilities to support the school’s emphasis on Math, Science and Technology.  These are the STEM graduates of the future that we desperately need in Minnesota and beyond.

I can’t help but share a few more highlights from my teacher development presentations in August. These teachers are so eager to learn!

Some time ago, I heard and read many disheartening discussions related to charter schools including that they are lower-performing than public schools, that they take resources from public schools while mismanaging them and that they do a disservice to their students. The last one is a really awful accusation that really burns me a bit.

Meet Nathaniel Bond, born January 20, 1991, in St. Paul, Minnesota, just five months before the first charter school law passed in that city at the Minnesota Capitol.   Today, Nathaniel is a second-year charter school fourth grade math and science teacher at Horizon Science Academy in Toledo, Ohio... 

What a great experience these two weeks have been, traveling with the Concept leadership team to 7 cities in as many days for Concept Teacher Institute Days!  I feel like an attorney “embedded” with a traveling brigade of master teachers and educators, who are leading professional development for hundreds of educators ready to start the school year.

What a fun interview with Bob Bowdon of Choice Media TV, in New York City! We talked chartering and education issues from the 1990s to now, and he even included a 1997 C-Span clip of my presentation to President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

I was honored to present my first ever “global webnote” address July 11 from my home in Minneapolis to the 1800 employees of the worldwide education organization, Mosaica Education. Mosaica manages 27 charter schools in the U.S. as part of over 100 education programs worldwide, including programs and services in the United Kingdom, India, and the United Arab Emirates. This year the Mosaica team opted to convert its annual leadership gathering into a “virtual” Senior Leadership Retreat—a new experience for everyone!

According to National Charter Schools Conference presenter Frank Luntz (right), Political Consultant, Pollster and Communications Consultant, the most important result  Americans want from public education is:

The National Charter Schools Conference opened this morning with a standing-room-only crowd for the first general session—due to a record-breaking 4,600+ attendees to the conference!  True, the conference site in Las Vegas may be attractive to some, but remember, it is  111 degrees outside!  In my view, people are here because they are committed to personal growth and growth of a strong charter sector.  And we all love lots and lots of networking.