"No talk, all action," is the loudly sung motto of Startup Weekend, a movement to transform the way we think, innovate, and create. Thousands of local organizers have hosted Startup Weekends around the world, forging a network of entrepreneurs, developers, product managers, marketing whizzes, educators, designers, and startup...

As 2011 comes to a close, the time has come to reflect on how innovation and perhaps failure have shaken up the education system. A version of this post was originally published on the LearnBoost blog (that I manage), but it has been syndicated for its broader implications...

Earlier this year, I tried my luck at a TEDxSFED Speaker Search. TEDx is the well-reputed TED's local brand, and SFED is the education-specific group dedicated to bringing innovative ideas to education.

My colleague, Rafael Corrales, and I were discussing education markets, comparative advantage and...

With over 15 million iPads sold to date, we might see its ubiquity as a matter of time. With the launch of the iPad 2, Apple will continue its push to democratize technology through anticipated lower costs, proven utility, and product "stickiness". Tablets have generated a...

Last year, the U.S. set ambitious goals in the National Education Technology Plan 2010 for our education system. In a recent weekly address, Obama reiterated his desire to push limits in technology and innovation: we must "out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world."

In my recent post, "Education Cares About Technology, But Do Technologists Care About Education?" I raised my concern that the education and the technology worlds are coming together, but perhaps not as strategically or advantageously as they could.

I was thrilled to see the insightful and thoughtful commentary...

Going from education, both as a student and a teacher, directly into the education technology space has been eye-opening. I work in an entrepreneurial incubator in the heart of Silicon Valley, surrounded by unbelievable technologists from the hottest tech startups in San Francisco. Out of the 20-plus companies launching amazing...

Restructuring or at least revamping the U.S. K-12 education system merits the political attention and media coverage it has been getting. Big names are surfacing in education, like Rhee, Christie, Black, Klein, and Gates, drawing a wider audience and pushing educational issues into the mainstream. While education reform may be...

With budget cuts taking place over the last year, the public elementary school that I attended was closed. The once bustling school in the heart of the historic downtown was hollowed and silenced. I had just decided to take a hiatus from teaching when several people pleaded for me to...

In many states, school funding relies on a set percentage of the property taxes gathered within the district. In affluent areas, property taxes are likely higher, meaning schools receive a hefty check. In poorer districts, the percentage gained from the lower taxes results in minimal operating funds. In...

People get seriously defensive -- with good reason -- at blanket statements about teaching and curriculum standards, accountability in schools, and teacher union authority. When discussing reform, subtle nuances get lost in politicized rhetoric and very personal experiences. Reform is framed almost as a holy war against a lethargic, failing...

This week I had a great discussion with a friend who is nearing the end of her elementary accreditation program at a state university. She has worked diligently over several years to prepare herself to be an instructional leader in a bilingual classroom. In her formal teacher preparation program she...

In what seems an absurd oxymoron, we currently have a teacher shortage in all 50 states, while simultaneously budgets for education shrink and pink slips land on teacher desks. One of my colleagues recently wrote about the pending teacher shortage crisis in the United States, noting the leading...

Education pundits are championing the creed, "education is the civil rights issue of our generation," to bring a sense of urgency to a broken public education system. Individuals that propose bold restructuring of schools, like Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, and a myriad of other reform-minded leaders, are calling the public...