Delivering on the Promise

The Education Revolution

Delivering on the Promise is the compelling story of how a team of visionary educators put their careers on the line to turn the traditional education system inside out and create a dramatically different approach to schooling that would serve every child—not just children with dedicated parents or systems with tremendous financial resources. It is a story about people who did not simply talk about education reform; they actually did it. The result is the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC) Approach to Schooling, a new paradigm in education that can be replicated anywhere, by anyone, for any student, under any set of circumstances.

The RISC Approach to Schooling is a standards- and performance-based system that has led to remarkable gains in student achievement. This system, which represents a literal reinvention of what schooling looks like, has the potential to impact education on a global level and help schools realize unprecedented levels of success for all students.

In a traditional education system, time is the constant and learning is the variable. Students progress en masse through grade levels by earning credits or seat time and reaching minimum levels of performance, as low as a D-. In a RISC system, learning is the constant and time is the variable. The system is designed around ensuring that students master required content, not simply get by each year with very little academic knowledge and low-level skills. In a RISC system, children do not take a passive seat and wait to be taught; they partner with teachers and own the learning process.

The authors explain the principles of the RISC system and how they were developed through grassroots reform that began in Alaska’s award-winning Chugach School District. These principles were later refined and successfully replicated in schools and districts throughout the state and beyond. Each chapter begins with leading questions to help you envision the RISC process in your school. The authors describe how the approach can be effective in any environment—rural, urban, large, or small.