Customized Schooling

In this work for policy makers and practitioners in education, US academics, researchers, and consultants explore customized services and products for school reform and provide examples of how school customization plays out in practice. The book builds on two distinct bodies of work: efforts to understand the preconditions for educational entrepreneurship, and examinations of the transformative potential of educational technology. The first section of the book sketches the landscape for customized education provision. These chapters review current providers, services, and global trends, and use a thought experiment to challenge readers to think outside the box on how the public selects and consumes educational services. The second section provides examples of real-life efforts by schools and education entrepreneurs. The final section addresses practical concerns about policy and implementation by using the higher education example to address questions of coordination and implications for policy making. Hess is affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute and Education Next. Manno is a senior advisor for education with the Walton Family Foundation. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)