Paul Tough's op-ed in today's New York Times is called ?Don't Drop Out of School Innovation.? The innovation in question is the devotion of millions of dollars to construction, in cities across the land, of ?Promise Neighborhoods? that would link schools with ?a network of early-childhood programs, parenting classes, health clinics and other social services, all focused on improving educational outcomes for poor children.? As Peter writes just below, this supposed innovation sprouts from the old belief that repairing rickety neighborhoods is essential?to repairing those neighborhoods' rickety schools. Leave aside whether or not this belief is correct; it is inarguably musty, undoubtedly un-innovative. Ideas in the K-12 sector are famously resilient and even the worst ones have a way of emerging in the news, every few years, spit-shined and glowing?the Next Big Thing. To paraphrase slightly, it often ought to make us education-types feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we're talking about, when we talk about innovation.
?Liam Julian