By Robert J. Harris April 12, 2017 Given the socio-cultural forces, and technological and economic factors that are rapidly changing the education landscape, today more than ever, the capacity for schools to innovate is a key success factor in k-12 education. There are numerous reasons why today’s k-12 public schools are not fountains of innovation.... Continue Reading →

By Robert J. Harris April 10, 2017 In the ancient world, it was believed that the earth was at the center of the universe, and that all other celestial bodies rotated around it. This theory later became known as the geocentric theory. In the third century BC, Greek philosopher Aristarchus first proposed that it was... Continue Reading →

By Robert J. Harris April 3, 2017 According to the Labor Policy Institute, the current national teacher shortage is estimated at 64,000 teachers. This shortage is estimated to increase to 112,000 teachers by 2018 (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, Carver-Thomas, 2016). Across the United States, overly restrictive teacher licensure regulations stand in the way of public schools hiring... Continue Reading →

This past December, my wife and I made our annual trip from Boston to Michigan to visit family for the holidays. As we drove from Detroit to Lansing, we were struck by the number of billboards along the interstate recruiting for substitute teachers.

While the following blog entry is not an endorsement of Starbucks over any of its competitors, or is it a criticism of the current state of educational practice, Starbuck’s business model contains some simple suggestions for school improvement.