What Can We Learn from the Best?

With the Olympics in full swing, perhaps you spend a little time each day checking in on the medal counts. The Olympics, without a doubt, inspire and entertain. It’s hard to not get swept up by the stories, the drama, the spectacle. The athletes are at peak performance, and there are regular displays of spectacular individual and team feats. The medals are a proxy for the tremendous amount of training, preparation, commitment, talent, and resources devoted to each sport.

While there aren’t many medals given out in the education reform field, we do regularly point out when public charter schools are honored for best practices and exceptional performance. While we like to highlight the rankings, there are also lessons that can be learned from exceptional schools. Here are resources that compile the experiences of high performing schools:

• U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Profiles: Check out the profile of the North Star Academy Charter School of Network, honored with a Blue Ribbon in 2010.
• EPIC Gold and Silver Gain Charter Schools: EPIC catalogued more than 50 case studies from charter schools with the highest achievement gains, which can be accessed here.
• Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools: YES Prep Public Schools was the inaugural winner of the prize in 2012 and in the upcoming academic year, researchers will visit the schools and document best practices.

Photo: 2012 London Olympic Medals, via Google Images