Gates Foundation: Not Just About Small Schools Anymore

I'm not sure that it has been adequately or completely noted noted out there in the education world that the recently-announced Gates-funded plan in Chicago to transform neighborhood schools -- but not necessarily convert them to small schools -- marks a big change from their past focus on converting existing schools and creating new ones.

Before recently, the Gates folks focused on giving money to folks who would help convert or create small schools. This summer, that started to change with some state-level grantmaking.

Not that anyone's walking away from small schools, but clearly it's a harder and perhaps less transformative thing than anyone thought: Expanding the Supply of High-Quality Public Schools (NSVF), Lessons in Frustruation (LAT), New York's Small Schools--A critical look at implementation (Mike Klonsky).

Or at least that's the sense I get.