CoSN today announced the creation of The Blaschke Fund to support emerging leaders in education technology policy and advocacy.
 
The memorial fund honors the late-industry giant Charles Blaschke, who conducted pioneering research and analysis on the ever-changing U.S. education landscape for over 50 years.
 
“CoSN’s mission, and the education professionals we serve every day, is influenced by the remarkable work of Charles Blaschke. In memorializing his legacy, we hope the fund will help shape future education technology policy and impact the next generation educators,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN.
 
“Charles would be deeply honored by the establishment of this memorial fund,” said Kathy Hurley, his wife and colleague in the education industry. “He was committed to providing policymakers the best research and analysis possible so that they could create sound education policy to positively impact America’s K-12 students.”
 
The new fund has two components: 
 
  • Blaschke Fellowship. This is designed to give graduate students in public policy and/or education an opportunity to work with CoSN on education policy projects. Priority will be given to initiatives focused on national education technology issues, such as funding, legislation and/or policies. Policies could include ensuring digital equity, protecting privacy of education data, enabling accessibility or other key topics.
 
  • Blaschke Internship. The fund will designate a pool of funds for undergraduate students in public policy and/or education to work part-time at CoSN while in school.
 
The following Trustees were appointed to develop the criteria that candidates must meet to be selected for the Blaschke Fellowship or the Blaschke Internship:
 
  • Deborah Delisle, President & CEO, Alliance for Excellent Education
  • Deb deVries, K-12 Education Industry Veteran
  • Gary Mainor, Executive Vice President, Pearson Education
  • Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN
  • John Phillipo, CEO, Center for Educational Leadership and Technology
  • Joseph Scherer, Executive Director, Superintendents’ National Dialogue
 
In conjunction with the fund’s establishment and the criteria developed by the Trustees, CoSN has selected William Ernst as the first Blaschke Fellow. A Georgetown University Master in Public Policy candidate, William’s project will focus on the impact of artificial intelligence on K-12 education.
 
CONTACT
For CoSN: Michael Kaplun, The Fratelli Group, 202-822-9491, mkaplun@fratelli.com
 
About CoSN 
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for school system technology leaders. CoSN provides thought leadership resources, community best practices and advocacy tools to help leaders succeed in the digital transformation. CoSN represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. cosn.org