THE ACTIVIST ECONOMIST: Roland Fryer, MacArthur "genius," Harvard economist, head of the four-year old Education Innovation Laboratory (or Ed Labs), is a man with a plan: he wants to climb into the "black box" of school operations and measure what strategies will close the achievement gap. A recent paper recounts how his team tested five ideas in the Houston school district. The League of Innovative Schools, a network of schools and superintendents, may be ready to help. Details in EdSurge's report for Fast Company. (It goes live at 8:00 am ET). Why edsurgents should care: Fryer is all about the facts and data of what works.
