AP Photo/Mike Derer
Stimulating Excellence
Unleashing the Power of Innovation in Education
May 2009
Stimulating Excellence
Unleashing the Power of Innovation in Education
May 2009
The American Enterprise Institute is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not of AEI.
1 Preface: A nonpartisan call for greater state
and federal support for innovation
3 Executive summary
4 Recommendations
7 Introduction
8 Sidebar: Examples of educational entrepreneurs
10 Findings and recommendations
10 Use dramatically better information to create a performance culture
12 Sidebar: Public education in the United States: A fragmented system
15 Open the public K-12 system to a diverse set of providers
16 Sidebar: A microcosm of educational entrepreneurship: public charter schools
18 Sidebar: Human capital constraints
22 Make districts and other buyers into real “customers”
34 Conclusion
36 Endnotes
Contents
Preface: A nonpartisan call for greater state and federal support for innovation 1
Preface: A nonpartisan call
for greater state and federal
support for innovation
Education reform has long seen partisan battles, where advocates often retreat to either
side of the aisle in defense of a program, reform or ideology. Indeed, two of the organiza-
tions that spearheaded this report often find themselves on opposite sides of many issues:
The Center for American Progress and American Enterprise Institute’s Frederick M. Hess
are widely regarded as embracing distinctive philosophical approaches to government,
and they often champion different approaches to addressing our country’s challenges.
When it comes to the crucial role of entrepreneurial problem-solvers in tackling the chal-
lenges of American education, however, we find much common ground. We may disagree
on some questions, but we are of the same mind about the vital import of increasing
dynamic, quality-conscious problem-solving in education. More specifically, we agree
about many changes to