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Innovations can emerge from public schools and districts as well as from think tanks and other homes of the education reform cognoscenti.

That's the premise behind the American Federation of Teachers' new "Innovation Fund," "a groundbreaking plan to seek and share successful local educator- and union-led reform efforts in public schools across the United States."  According to the AFT, the fund will support reforems such as:

• "Improvement Zones, such as the former Chancellor's District in New York City and the School Improvement Zone in Miami-Dade County"
• "Peer review, such as Toledo's nationally recognized program for teacher mentoring and evaluation"
• Community Schools, which take a holistic approach to students' academic, personal and social development
• "Union-partnered charter schools, such as UFT's charter schools in New York and other charter schools across the country where teachers have chosen to join AFT
• "Differentiated pay, such as the plans in Douglas County, Colorado, New York City and elsewhere, where union involvement established fair measures and incentivized cooperation"
• "School-based teacher contracts, in which teachers have flexibility to meet their students' needs, and professionalism is enhanced through fair pay, respectful treatment and workplace voice"

Reform that begins with educators is most likely to gain educators' sustained commitment. Top-down reforms thrust upon the people who must carry them out face tougher odds. 

This principle has long been a received truth among business reformers.  Strange that it should be lost on so many advocates for market-based education reform. Too many self-anointed education reformers seem to believe their reforms would work if only they could wish away the millions of people who actually work in our public schools every day.

In any event, Public School Insights applauds AFT and looks forward to featuring the Innovation Fund's successes alongside the many other successful schools and districts featured on this site.