Why Is Educational Entrepreneurship so Difficult ?

Much of the recent literature on improving education in the United States seeks to promote entrepreneurship as the solution to raising educational quality and equity. But, the historical record documenting substantial and sustained departure from conventional educational practices is scant despite numerous attempts at entrepreneurial innovation. This paper contends that the challenge of entrepreneurially induced change is not due to a deficit of ideas or lack of volition on the part of those who seek change. Rather it is due to intrinsic features of the educational system which defy modification. These include not only such matters as a stubborn school culture, but also the very role of schools as organizations that must serve other organizations and depend upon them for resources. The paper evaluates the record of new forms of organization such as charter schools and educational management organizations as well as other well-intentioned strategies for transforming American education. It concludes that successful educational entrepreneurship must overcome a deeply-rooted institutional conservatism that is largely explained by modern institutional theory. Finally, we should bear in mind that resistance to change can be a valuable safeguard against bad policy initiatives. Prepared for Conference on Educational Entrepreneurship at American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC, November 14, 2005 and to be published in Frederick Hess, ed., Educational Entrepreneurship (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2006). The author is thankful to Heather Schwartz for her valued assistance. Henry M. Levin is the director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, located at Teachers College, Columbia University.