Years ago, when I was just entering the education reform world, an old hand heard that I had registered for a big conference and dismissively replied, "Conferences are for the uninitiated." Ouch.
Over the years, I've thought about that put-down many times while attending these big events. Maybe I'm still uninitiated, but I seldom attend a conference where I don't learn new and interesting things. That's doubly true at the excellent National Charter Schools Conference happening this week. For example, though I'm no fan of the current turnaround craze, I learned a good deal about the subject at a session featuring Jordan Meranus, Matt Candler, Scott Gordon, and Ben Rayer. ????Great on-the-ground lessons that gave me serious food for thought. Similarly, though I didn't totally agree with Secretary Duncan's take on improving America's lowest-performing schools, it was instructive to hear him talk about the subject.
In other notable news, the Alliance released a new "model charter school law" at the conference. It's a very good document and worth reading if you're interested in how to turn your general charter support into policies that make sense.
So here's to conferences from a helplessly uninitiated and naive reformer!