Principles for Education Reform

In 1984, a quarter-million-dollar study funded by the Partnership set the stage for nation-leading reforms we now take for granted - from open enrollment and charter schools to statewide standards and assessments. That report, “Educating Students for the 21st Century,” also established a set of principles that continue to guide the Partnership’s approach to education policy:

1)Set rigorous academic standards for all students.
2)Measure and report student progress – individually and by school – on a uniform and comparable basis.
3)Give educators flexibility to offer the programs they believe will be most effective for their students.
4)

Provide families with the ability to choose the programs that best meet their children's academic needs.

Using this framework, the Partnership contributed to yet another innovative education reform model. Self-governed schools, essentially a charter school within a school district, enables teachers to establish and run their own schools. While education organization generally oppose the concept, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) in 2005 supported legislation sponsored by the Partnership to authorize and fund development of the self-governed schools model. We worked together over the next four years to maintain funding, enabling Education Evolving to build on the concept. In January 2010, Minneapolis is expected to approve its first self-governed school.