Jill Lepore: What the Theory of Disruptive Innovation Gets Wrong

dianeravitch posted: "If your school has been closed, if the staff was fired in a "turnaround," you have experienced the theory of disruptive innovation, which is associated with Harvard Business Professor Clayton Chistensen. Or perhaps your neighborhood school fell victim " Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Jill Lepore: What the Theory of Disruptive Innovation Gets Wrong by dianeravitch If your school has been closed, if the staff was fired in a "turnaround," you have experienced the theory of disruptive innovation, which is associated with Harvard Business Professor Clayton Chistensen. Or perhaps your neighborhood school fell victim to Joseph Schumpeter's theory of "creative destruction." Just so you can see these ideologies from a critical perspective, be sure to read Harvard historian Jill Lepore's critique of Christianson's work on disruptive innovation, which first appeared in "The New Yorker." She challenges his thesis and argues that those bold start-ups flamed out, while stable institutions live on. And yet the idea of disruption has become wildly popular, as we now see in education policy. Charters and vouchers are disruptive. Firing entire staffs is disruptive. The results of these "innovations" have been unimpressive and sometimes disastrous, yet their champions continue to demand more and more. To understand why, read this article. dianeravitch | July 14, 2014 at 11:00 am | Categories: Closing schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-8dt Comment    See all comments