Matchbook Learning CEO Sajan George challenged Georgia to create a more focused K-12 public education vision during the 2014 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum panel discussion.
Alpharetta resident Sajan George founded Matchbook Learning which operates innovative blended learning schools in Detroit and Matchbook is being recruited to open schools in other states. But Georgia is not on Matchbook’s radar and he explained why during the 2014 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum education panel discussion.
“At the risk of offending every single person in the room I’ll just be totally blunt. There’s no vision here for education, there isn’t, statewide,: said George. “If you ask my counterparts, the founders and CEOs of other blended and entrepreneurial education systems, Atlanta and Georgia in general is not even on their radar, not even close to their radar.
“At least three ingredients that have to be in place for entrepreneurial blended models to come. You need a way to rank your schools. The second thing you need is a pathway to scale. Third, there needs to be some sort of harbor master, someone that’s between the state or the county and the education entrepreneurial sector that brings together those elements, that sort of runway to land,” said George.
“If we have to rely on whoever the state superintendent (is), district superintendent (is), governor, there’s an election cycle. We don’t know if the person who is making these promises in less than four years is still going to be there. We plan to be here long-term so you need a third party intermediary. Other cities and state have that.”
George joined former Virginia and Florida top public schools official Gerard Robinson in a 75-minute discussion moderated by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Kyle Wingfield. The Legislative Policy Forum is a partnership project between the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and the Conservative Leadership Policy Institute.
(Article and video production by Mike Klein)
SAJAN GEORGE
By Mike Klein
Alpharetta resident Sajan George founded Matchbook Learning which operates innovative blended learning schools in Detroit and Matchbook is being recruited to open schools in other states. But Georgia is not on Matchbook’s radar and he explained why during the 2014 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum education panel discussion.
“At the risk of offending every single person in the room I’ll just be totally blunt. There’s no vision here for education, there isn’t, statewide,: said George. “If you ask my counterparts, the founders and CEOs of other blended and entrepreneurial education systems, Atlanta and Georgia in general is not even on their radar, not even close to their radar.
“At least three ingredients that have to be in place for entrepreneurial blended models to come. You need a way to rank your schools. The second thing you need is a pathway to scale. Third, there needs to be some sort of harbor master, someone that’s between the state or the county and the education entrepreneurial sector that brings together those elements, that sort of runway to land,” said George.
“If we have to rely on whoever the state superintendent (is), district superintendent (is), governor, there’s an election cycle. We don’t know if the person who is making these promises in less than four years is still going to be there. We plan to be here long-term so you need a third party intermediary. Other cities and state have that.”
George joined former Virginia and Florida top public schools official Gerard Robinson in a 75-minute discussion moderated by Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Kyle Wingfield. The Legislative Policy Forum is a partnership project between the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and the Conservative Leadership Policy Institute.
Article and video production by Mike Klein, Editor at Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
