People with a college education earn 50% more than people without one. Only 8% of poor children go to college.

This was the context for a Boston Foundation forum on The ingredients of Effective Schools. It was inspirational watching a collection of accomplished educational experts with a broad range of views, collaborating on the elements of successful schools while debating the benefits of different approaches.

The keynote speaker was Richard Barth, CEO and President of the Kipp Foundation. Paul Grogan, the President of the Boston Foundation facilitated a panel of several representatives from a range of different types of schools: district, charter and pilot.

I was struck by two things in particular.

• First, was the power and rigor of the conversation given the rich data that is now available to inform the discussion. Successes, failures, trends and the causes for each can now be analyzed and debated

• Next was the learning that can be shared across approaches. Union implications, charter restrictions and population trends all differ but disciplined and open collaboration allows for systemic learning.

This is a lesson that can be learned across the social sector. Defining strategic objectives and measuring results yield immediate and long range benefits in guiding decision making across a sector. And the willingness to truly open oneself to learning from others with sometimes opposing views can generate the true power of transformation!