Leadership Blog

Vander Ark on Innovation

This blog was written by Tom Vander Ark (@tvanderark), an education advocate, adviser, and author of Getting Smart: How Personal Digital Learning is Changing the World. Tom is Founder and Executive Editor of Getting Smart and a partner in Learn Capital. This blog is no longer being updated.

Education Opinion Competitive, Coherent, Creative: The 21st-Century School District
It's a good time to ask about the existence and value contribution of middle managers in education, and re-examine why school districts exist, how they work and what value they add.
Tom Vander Ark, April 17, 2017
11 min read
Personalized Learning Opinion Powering Personalized Learning in Chicago
On a recent school tour trip to Chicago, we visited three schools creating powerful personalized learning environments that serve their unique student population and communities.
Tom Vander Ark, April 12, 2017
4 min read
School & District Management Opinion What's The Next Big Idea? Microschool Networks
Microschools have been popping up around the country for the last decade with great success, so let's make it easier to launch these schools by creating supportive networks.
Tom Vander Ark & Megan Mead, April 10, 2017
5 min read
Teaching Opinion The Common Core of the Student Needs the Common Core of Place
Place-Based Education is fundamental to supporting "whole-child" development, as it propels students towards becoming active citizens, showing them that change is possible and that initiative and creativity are critical.
Tom Vander Ark, April 5, 2017
6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion IBM Prep: Chicago's Goode STEM Partners for Associate Degrees and IT Careers
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, a Chicago early college high school, helps students gain valuable work experience, earn a free associate degree and leave school with the possibility of a job offer.
Tom Vander Ark, April 3, 2017
4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Conspiracy of 10 Lessons and Innovations Drive Postsecondary Learning
The majority of students are still leaving high school unprepared for college and career, but the good news is there are at least ten trends that will drive improved options and outcomes for learners of all ages.
Tom Vander Ark, March 29, 2017
5 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Embedding SEL Across the Curriculum
Social-emotional learning is most effective when it is integrated into school culture, curriculum and guidance services. Here are 10 examples of schools that embed SEL into their formal curricula.
Tom Vander Ark, March 27, 2017
6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Boise is Alive With Possibility
Gordon Jones, Dean of Boise State University's College of Innovation and Design, discusses how the college focuses on incubating the most innovative and exciting ideas in higher education today.
Tom Vander Ark, March 23, 2017
1 min read
Education Opinion The Technologies Reshaping Life and Livelihood
AI is rapidly reshaping the employment landscape. Given the opportunities and challenges this creates, it is a topic every school community should be discussing with students.
Tom Vander Ark, March 20, 2017
5 min read
School & District Management Opinion Denver Public School System Exemplifies a Healthy Educational Ecosystem
In this podcast, Denver Public Schools education leaders share why their school system continues to lead when it comes to providing school choice for students and families.
Tom Vander Ark, March 13, 2017
2 min read
School & District Management Opinion Rob Mancabelli on Using Data to Make Better Decisions
Rob Mancabelli, Co-founder, Chairman of the Board & Chief Strategy Officer at BrightBytes, discusses the importance of providing educators with the right data for better decision making.
Tom Vander Ark, March 8, 2017
2 min read
School & District Management Opinion Scott Hartl on Growing Schools That Foster Wonderful Ideas
For more than a quarter-century, EL Education has demonstrated that you can combine intellectual and character education. CEO Scott Hartl shares more about this innovative organization.
Tom Vander Ark, March 6, 2017
2 min read
Classroom Technology Opinion The Weird Marriage of Standards and Computers: 9 Lessons, 9 Postulates
The last two decades in education were shaped by an odd mix of shifting from print to digital and from local to federal control of K-12. So going forward, here are nine solution seeking postulates to address the lessons learned.
Tom Vander Ark, March 1, 2017
3 min read
School & District Management Opinion Matt Candler on the #FutureofSchool
In this podcast, we share segments from a recent 4.0 Schools Community Summit keynote by CEO and founder Matt Candler, as well as my interview with him afterward on the #FutureofSchool.
February 27, 2017
1 min read