Why

Education Pioneers threw a spectacular party tonight.

There were a hundred people with advanced degrees from colleges that I wouldn't have even tried to apply to, all in business formal, drinking wine and eating beef wellington and bacon-wrapped scallops off trays from servers dressed in black. It was, at the same, time quite not-my-scene and the best time I've had all week. Graciously they left the word "intern" off my nametag, because a ton of people approached me to hear my story. Can you imagine?

To provide a bit of context, the people who are Analyst and Graduate School Fellows for EP are remarkably accomplished, and tonight was to celebrate them and why they have direct their career path into ed. reform. It was called the "Why Celebration." I will add the party pics later of the beautifully authentic wall of reasons why these individuals are working to transform education – to eliminate poverty, to make it so your zip code doesn't determine your future career, to let kids realize their full potential.

Really I just want to tell you about the keynote speaker. I would have been more excited in advance if I had any familiarity with Greater Boston school districts, but nonetheless the superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools Jeff Riley blew me away. He opened with this story and as much as I wouldn't start a speech with ten minute reading, he had the room in the palm of his hand. He read this to his teachers when he became superintendent, he said.

I can't do his subsequent speech justice by trying to recount it here, so I'll just tell you the ideas I'm still turning over in my head:

• Why is ed. reform so top-down? Why do people think a policy can be a one-size-fits-all in a district that serves such a diverse population? (In the sense that all populations are diverse.)
• The opportunity gap is what we should be considering. Disadvantaged kids just don't have the same sports, internships, involved parents, counseling, tutoring opportunities as suburban kids — and this is wildly significant with regards to achievement levels.
• His comment to the effect of: "People are on one side or the other - charter schools are great, or teachers and unions are great. I don't care. We are making charter schools, but without lotteries, and with unions."

So clever of you, EP. I guarantee you everyone left a little more sure of why they want to work in education, whether they wanted to or not. I heard someone decided to change careers after listening to this man tonight. I'm not even kidding.