One hundred high-performing public schools in designated communities of need by 2010. Five-year contracts with heavy accountability measures, but beyond that, significant room for the charter schools to experiment. That's the idea of Renaissance 2010, one of Arne Duncan's signature initiatives in Chicago. Two years ago, I went out to the city of Austin to profile one of the most promising new schools, Austin Polytech, an advanced manufacturing high school that was a joint creation of city bureaucrats, local employers, community activist groups, and yes, even teacher's unions. The schools was very impressive then, and in the years since, its fame has grown, with Obama even mentioning it in speeches. The article is here, and though Duncan isn't mentioned by name, the innovative atmosphere that brought the school into being was largely his creation.
