But Everybody’s Doing It

This is one of those moments when Schools Building Communities is following the herd — at the time of the year when most ‘top lists’ are birthed, whether they cover the top cocktails, psychology studies or rapidly expanding charities. Here at SBC Central, we are keeping the list simple — What were the top five stories in education in 2009? Here’s our take, in reverse order:

5. Technology Advancements. This dumps a lot of things into one category, but schools and universities have begun to understand the value of Facebook, Twitter and hand-held mobile devices in education. Add in the advancements in digital textbooks and the Kindle and technology is approaching a cost-cutting tipping-point for education administrators. That’s Amazon’s Jeff Bezos with his Kindle pictured.

4. Swine Flu. Some schools found a new way to deal with the flu this year, simply closing and locking their doors. This happened at every level of education, causing many learning outlets to turn to the internet for both information and lessons. Microsoft even launched a website to aid teachers in creating a page for their classroom through Office Live Workspace.

3. Charter Schools. They have been around for 15 years now, but this year charter schools have forced an alliance between the likes of Newt Gingrich and Rev. Al Sharpton and caused Catholic schools to look at stripping their religious identity to secure tax dollars. And the evidence of success? Hurricane Katrina brought an end to the struggling New Orleans School System and, in its place, the city is performing much better under largely charter options.

2. Focus on Innovation. While the administration is demanding change in traditional education for those who want to secure Race To The Top dollars, the U.S. Department of Education is also driving innovative measures through grants, which can be awarded to districts, museums, corporations, universities and individuals who invest in new methods to achieve academic successes.

1. Race To The Top. The Obama administration has made education such a cornerstone of its agenda, it allotted 100 times more funds than previous administrations. And the Race To The Top, which will financially reward states that are most committed to education reform, has already forced states to adopt 21st century practices without the award of a single dime.