Innovative Ideas

Meeting the Potential of a Virtual Education

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Lessons From Operators Making Online Schooling Work When the first virtual school began more than 20 years ago, it offered an incredible promise: Suddenly, students could get access to a great education and a diversity of courses regardless of place or time. They could have flexibility to “attend” school around medical appointments, sports practices, or whatever else life threw at…

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education fellowship opportunities

75 Education Organizations Seek to Address Teacher Diversity

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Research has shown that teacher diversity helps close the achievement gap for students of color, and improves educational outcomes for all students. Bluum is joining seventy-five education organizations—representing teachers, preservice teachers, school counselors, education staff, principals, superintendents, charter school leaders, education reformers, tutors, and teacher educators—signing a letter, organized by the Association of American Educators Foundation, calling for action to address…

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Little Audience, Big Ideas: Idaho New School Fellow creates STEAM Learning Opportunities

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Libraries are generally known to be quiet places, but on Early Childhood STEAM Day, when you step through the doors at Caldwell Public Library, an enthusiastic murmur can be heard somewhere to the left. Idaho New School Fellow Anthony Haskett regularly teams up with the Caldwell Public Library to harness the excitement and energy of 30 preschoolers into free STEAM activities. This…

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education fellowship opportunities

A Tested Tool to Better Serve Idaho Students – Flexibility in Charter School Leadership

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At Bluum, we aim to help Idaho’s children reach their fullest potential by cultivating great leaders and growing innovative schools. Through our experience of helping to open or expand 15 high-performing schools throughout the state, and empowering six outstanding educators to design, build, and launch high-performing public charter schools, we have learned some lessons about quality, leadership, and innovation. This…

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How Is Idaho Charter School Performance Like a Clint Eastwood Movie? There’s the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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by Terry Ryan This opinion piece appeared in The 74 on 2/4/19 The Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, just released its study of public charter schools in Idaho. The report analyzes student performance using three years of data, beginning with 2014-15 school year and ending with 2016-17. The findings made me think of the classic spaghetti western…

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Why School Choice Has Worked for Us

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by Sierra Tanner and Tanner Lynch, high school students at Pathways in Education – Nampa For decades, high school students like us have chosen some of their classes—electives, Advanced Placement courses, and so on—based on their talents, needs, and interests. If students can choose their own classes with advice from their parents, they should also have the power to select…

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New Ideas for a New Era of Public Education In Idaho – Discussion with Dr. Paul T. Hill

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In late January, Idaho law- and policy-makers and education stakeholders joined Bluum for a special dinner and discussion about new ideas for a new era of public education in Idaho. After Terry Ryan welcomed our distinguished guests, Idaho Charter School Network‘s President, Bill Russel, took a moment to present two lawmakers with the Champions for Charters Award. Sen. Lori Den…

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School Funding Formula Hijinks

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By Terry Ryan, originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org The Idaho Public School Funding Formula Committee (a group of state lawmakers, policy makers and education leaders) has spent the last three years convening multiple hearings in Boise and across the state to learn from Idaho educators, school board members, citizens, taxpayers, parents and outside experts what is working and what isn’t working…

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Future Public School Summer Camp

Helping Idaho’s Charters Succeed: What Parents Have to Say

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A key Bluum goal is to share research and insights learned in our efforts to help grow successful new school models and develop innovative education leaders. We think education and schooling can only get better if it is informed by research, data and insights from what works and from what doesn’t. We also think the voice of parents matter greatly.…

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Treasure Valley Leadership Academy

Comparing Notes – A Visit to one of Idaho’s First Innovation High Schools

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by Kristen McCarver Nestled within a quiet Nampa neighborhood is one of Idaho’s first innovation high schools, Treasure Valley Leadership Academy. Launched at the start of the 2017-18 school year with a class of around 30 9th graders, it’s no doubt been a year of firsts, including hosting a learning visit for educators from another school. As an innovation school,…

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