Education is a business that differs from teaching but supports the profession. Providing principals and teachers with the power to make operational decisions at the building level is key to the success of any education reform effort.

Ron's academic preparation includes a B.S. in Physics, an M.B.A., and a J.D. degree. He spent 42 years in secondary education including 18 years as principal of St. Mark's High School and 14 years as the founding president of Delaware's first charter school. A consortium of businesses led by the DuPont Company hired him in 1995 to open the Charter School of Wilmington, consistently ranked by Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report as one of the top public schools in the nation. His assignment was to implement an education reform effort to change the existing public school system and to improve the state's economy. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx