I previously mentioned this talk in a post about school leaders who started in business, but this deserves its own spotlight.

STC school leader John Zitzer, Founder of Entrepreneurship Preparatory School (E-Prep) in Cleveland talked to TEDx Cleveland about the reform his school is leading. Formerly a software entrepreneur, he suspected that low income students would benefit from an education that encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit. He was right:

 

“E Prep opened in August 2006 and has successfully boosted the academic performance of the majority of its students despite the fact that 98% are minorities and 84% are low-income. E Prep is currently rated “Effective” (second highest rating) by the Ohio Department of Education, and was named a School of Promise by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in each of the last three school years. John is also the Founder of Village Preparatory School- a grade K-5 elementary school that opened in August 2009. Both schools are modeled after other high-performing urban charter schools in cities around the country, and are characterized by high expectations and a “no excuses” attitude toward proving that all children can learn and advance to college.”