23rd
How I would spend the $100M from Zuckerberg in Newark NJ Schools
The question on my mind this morning after reading about Mark Zuckerberg giving $100 million to the Newark NJ schools is how to spend that money and have a real impact on the children in Newark. I applaud Zuckerberg for stepping up to the plate and providing funding to make a difference. More of this private funding needs to take place in our country to turn around our education system.
I spent 6 years working with K-12 schools implementing technology and assessment programs. I’ve been in the trenches working with teachers in “under performing” districts in California and New Jersey to help them better use technology in the classroom. I know how difficult it is to change things in education.
This graphic shows the lack of impact that additional spending in education has had on reading and math test scores over the last 20 years. My biggest fear about Zuckerberg’s gift is that nothing will come about from the large donation given the past history. Our public schools are broken and still use industrial methods in a society that is now digital. I see this every year at back to school night when I go into classrooms where the teachers are still using overhead projectors to share information.
So if I was calling the shots in Newark this is what I would do with the $100 million:
1. Buy out the teachers union and put a system in place where teachers are rewarded for excellent work. Those that don’t perform are taken out of the system. This happens everyday in the real world with employees and keeps companies successful. The teacher’s unions in this country are trying to preserve the status quo and this is not acceptable. Look at the union’s negative reaction to the publishing teacher performance rankings in Los Angeles as a prime example of the unions not willing to move forward.
2. Change the school year-to-year round school to keep the children fully engaged in learning activities all year. The current school schedule is a carry-over from an agrarian culture where the kids where needed in the fields in the summer.
3. Increase the amount of parent involvement in their children’s education with specific engagement programs. Parents can have the greatest impact on a children’s education.
4. Create open an WiFi network in Newark to provide the infrastructure to take these kids into the digital world.
If you were a parent with a child in the Newark school district what would be your expectations?
