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Impact

K–12 Education

In 2003, HBS launched an MBA elective course focused on entrepreneurship in education reform and cofounded the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This multiyear research project focuses on the management levers needed to create and sustain high-performing K–12 public school districts in the United States. These efforts have resulted in more than 30 case studies focused on adapting and applying management concepts within urban school systems to drive improved performance and on using entrepreneurial strategies to effect systemic change in K–12 education.

Featured MBA Course

Transforming Education through Social Entrepreneurship

This course (formerly Entrepreneurship in Education Reform) explores the central role that education plays in our economy and society and is designed for students who want to take an active role in shaping the future workforce, bringing about a more equitable society, and improving the trajectories of our nation’s youth.

Featured Research

Note on Charter Schools

By: John J-H Kim, Geoff Marietta & Annie Wheeler
2013 | HARVARD BUSINESS PUBLISHING NOTE NO. 313-104

Subjects covered include: education and industry.

Investing in Improvement: Strategy & Resource Allocation in Public School Districts (pdf)

By: Stacey Childress
2010 | HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL WORKING PAPER, NO. 10-057

Transforming Public Education: Cases in Education Entrepreneurship

By: Stacey Childress
2010 | HARVARD EDUCATION PRESS

Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Montgomery County Public Schools

By: Stacey M. Childress, Denis P. Doyle, David A. Thomas & with a foreword by David Gergen
2009 | HARVARD EDUCATION PRESS

Classic Cases

Match Next: Next Generation Middle School?

By: John J-H Kim & Daniel Goldberg
2016 | CASE | HBS CASE COLLECTION

Subjects covered include: Charter Schools; Public Schools; Edtech; Entrepreneurship

AltSchool: School Reimagined

By: John J-H Kim, Kyla Wilkess & Christine S. An
2015 | CASE | HBS CASE COLLECTION

Subjects covered include: Education Technology; School Models; Talent Development And Retention; Social Impact Investment; Customization and Personalization

Career Pathways, Performance Pay, & Peer-review Promotion in Baltimore City Public Schools

By: Susan Moore Johnson, John J-H Kim, Geoff Marietta, S. Elisabeth Faller & James Noonan
2013 | CASE | HBS CASE COLLECTION

Meeting New Challenges at the Aldine Independent School District

By: Stacey Childress, Allen S. Grossman & Caroline King
2011 | CASE | HBS CASE COLLECTION

Subjects covered include: leadership, performance management, strategic alignment, and strategy.

Baltimore City Public Schools: Implementing Bounded Autonomy

By: Allen S. Grossman, Susan Moore Johnson & Elisha Brookover
2011 | CASE | HBS CASE COLLECTION

Subjects covered include: organizational change and organizational culture.

Research Partnership

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THE BRINK OF RENEWAL: A BUSINESS LEADER’S GUIDE TO PROGRESS IN AMERICA’S SCHOOLS (PDF)

MAY 2014 | REPORT

Harvard Business School, together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Boston Consulting Group, is bringing business and education leaders together to better understand how they can collaborate to transform America’s PK-12 education system. This report focuses on the current state of U.S. PK-12 education. It highlights the converging trends that make this a special, promising moment in education reform.

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PARTIAL CREDIT: HOW AMERICA’S SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS SEE BUSINESS AS A PARTNER (PDF)

FEB 2014 | REPORT

This report presents the findings of the first-ever national survey of school superintendents on U.S. competitiveness and the role of business in improving education outcomes in the U.S., including specific actions that business leaders can take to support transformative change

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LASTING IMPACT: A BUSINESS LEADER’S PLAYBOOK FOR SUPPORTING AMERICA’S SCHOOLS (PDF)

FEB 2014 | REPORT

This booklet provides a practical approach for business leaders seeking to understand the complex issues involved in transforming PK-12 education.