Innovating Education: An Interview with James H. Shelton III

Written by John Kim

In this edited interview with DMC’s CEO John J-H Kim, James H. Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, discusses his new role, and his vision for innovation and improvement in the American school system. Shelton manages a portfolio that includes most of the Department's competitive teacher quality, school choice, and learning technology programs. He is also involved in the development of and grant process for the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund, and the $650 million Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund.

Mr. Shelton brings to his new position his experience and perspective working in the business and the foundation sectors. Shelton most recently served as a program director for the education division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to that, Mr. Shelton was a partner at NewSchools Venture Fund. He was a co-founder of LearnNow, a school management company that later was acquired by Edison Schools. He also worked at Knowledge Universe, Inc., where he launched, acquired, and operated education-related businesses. Shelton’s other business experience includes four years as a senior management consultant with McKinsey & Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Shelton holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Atlanta’s Morehouse College as well as master’s degrees in both business administration and education from Stanford University.

In this edited interview with DMC’s CEO John J-H Kim, Mr. Shelton discusses his new role, and his vision for innovation and improvement in the American school system.