Match Charter Public School Founder Mike Goldstein on School & Teacher Prep Reform

This week on “The Learning Curve," co-hosts Gerard Robinson and Cara Candal talk with Mike Goldstein, founder of the Match Charter School and Match Teacher Residency in Boston. He shares why he became involved in K-12 education and founded Match Charter, and some of the innovations the school has implemented, such as high-caliber teacher preparation and use of Ivy League-educated teachers to drive successful student achievement. They discuss Match’s high-dosage tutoring program, and Mike shares the results of an experiment begun six years ago to replicate it in school districts. Mike also sheds light on charter graduates’ economic mobility, including job prospects and earning gains after college. Lastly, they delve into how charter supporters and leaders in Massachusetts and other blue states should proceed now that opposition is on the rise in states with some of the highest-performing charters, and what must be done to bridge the growing political divisions within K-12 education reform.

Stories of the Week: In New Mexico this year, the state is experiencing a 40 percent spike in the retirement of education employees. In Illinois, nearly 40 cents of every education dollar is spent on pensions.

Guest:

Mike Goldstein is founder of Match Charter School in Boston, profiled by the illustrious Cara Candal for unusual approaches to tutoring and also teacher prep. Mike went on to become CAO of Bridge International Academies. That’s the largest operator of elementary schools in Africa, with over 800,000 students. Most recently, Mike advises start-ups that create parent choice - including Avela, Reconstruction, SchoolHouse - and is cooking up a new start-up to address a charter sector challenge (that our graduates often don’t escape poverty as adults). He lives outside Boston with wife Pru, two middle-schoolers, and pandemic pup, Grizzly.

Next Episode: The next episode will air on Wednesday, October 6th with guest, Raymond Arsenault, the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History at the University of South Florida, and the author of several acclaimed and prize-winning books on civil rights, including Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice.

Tweet of the Week:

News Links:

The Albuquerque Journal: NM sees 40% jump in education retirements

https://www.abqjournal.com/2432486/state-sees-40-jump-in-education-retirements.html

Illinois Policy: NEARLY 40 CENTS OF EVERY EDUCATION DOLLAR IN ILLINOIS GOES TO PENSIONS

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/nearly-40-cents-of-every-education-dollar-in-illinois-goes-to-pensions/