Sign of the Times, Part One:
No sooner did word leak out that Mark Zuckerberg will appear on Oprah today to announce a donation of $100 million to the Newark public school system than the media long knives were unsheathed.
According to the naysayers, the Facebook CEO was making the donation to counteract the negative depiction of him in The Social Network as, in the words of the New York Post, "a conniving backstabber who may have stolen the idea for his social networking site."
Or he was making it "as a way to ward off any negative stigma" arising from his new standing on the Forbes 400 as America's 35th wealthiest person. New York magazine called it "the PR move of the month."
Even the Wall Street Journal, which called the donation "generous, courageous, and inspiring" said: "Mr. Zuckerberg may be young. But he already has learned a lot about the offsetting PR value of philanthropy."
So the $100 million donation to Newark's crumbling public schools is not in and of itself the story? The story is figuring out the motivation behind it? Is this what we have come to? Can you think of anything more ridiculous?
I really don't care why Mark Zuckerberg is donating $100 million of his own money that will make a profound difference to the lives of Newark's children. I care very much that it's being done -- that one of America's worst school systems will be getting a massive infusion of funds.
The stats couldn't be more troubling: despite spending $22,000 a year per student, the graduation rate in Newark hovers around 50 percent; only 1 out of 5 Newark students who do graduate go on to a four-year college; over 85 percent of Newark students who go on to community college need remedial help in English and math.
So let's skip the dime store Freud and celebrate Zuckerberg's game-changing gift.
Sign of the Times, Part Two:
Zuckerberg's donation is an example of the kind of big, bold steps that are needed in these troubled times -- as is Newark mayor Cory Booker's attempt to tackle the chronic failure of his city's schools head on by demanding greater local control of the state-run schools and working on raising a matching $100 million from others concerned about the crisis in education.
Zuckerberg and Booker -- who will appear together on Oprah -- are demonstrating that we all need to bring a sense of urgency to the problems we are facing and make ourselves part of the solution.
Zuckerberg could have given $10 million and still gotten a load of good PR. Instead he's giving $100 million.
I spent the morning at the Clinton Global Initiative, announcing the commitments being made in the Science, Technology, Education, and math (STEM) category and then moderating a panel on Technology and Democracy (one of the panelists, Pierre Omidyar, had made commitments totaling $55 million to promote government transparency globally and mobile technology in developing countries). Before the first session, I talked with President Clinton and Robert S. Harrison about the need to hold a domestic CGI to address all the growing needs here at home.
Among the roughly 300 commitments expected to be made at this year's event (as reported by Reporters Uncensored's Maura Kelly on HuffPost), were $60 million to replace the stoves that produce the smoke that takes the life of a woman or child somewhere in the world every 16 seconds, and a commitment from Procter & Gamble to provide 2 billion gallons of drinkable water a year -- a move that will save a life every hour of every day.
The problems we face are enormous. But so is the amount of available money, energy, creativity, caring and dedication to making things better.
So let's keep the long knives in their scabbards.
P.S. On Monday, Oprah did a show about Waiting for Superman, the powerful new documentary about the failure of America's education system. The show included the film's director Davis Guggenheim, Bill Gates, Chancellor of Public Schools for Washington D.C. Michelle Rhee, and John Legend. On today's show, along with the announcement from Zuckerberg and Booker, Oprah is going to feature her viewers' reaction to the film. Hello, America's schools? The zeitgeist is calling!
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
I would have been impressed to see something a bit more complex, with a more decided educational direction. A package that sees students as a future investment with significant potential returns. Maybe even innovative social marketing training for high school students using things like Facebook. There's so much room for innovation in the education system, I would love to have seen Zuckerburg give 10 million to the school system and 90 million on new private education initiatives, new organizations for students and their families, and maybe a foundation to help financially struggling students afford college education or job trainin, etc. The real problem facing our schools doesn't stem from the lack of money, though that is a huge problem. It comes from an outdated education system that isn't evolving as fast as it's country and it's students are.
Thanks Mark
Many of us in this country went to public, underfunded schools and by luck, having some good or great teachers that gave more than they got credit for, made it to be somewhat successful in life. It is time to set aside all the negativity and pessimism and get a life.
Money won't fix all the problems, but you have to start somewhere. The children going to some of these schools don't have a lifetime to wait for the long-term fixes that will eventually trickle down from government intervention.
You have to ask the question - would rather they end up serving life in jail at about $100,000/year of taxpayer money due to an environment and poor educational opportunity, or take the money offered no matter the motive, and create productive, educated citizens that will make a difference in their lives and possibly ours?
If $22,000 a student doesn't work - throwing more $ down the hole will not improve anything - this has been shown over and over and over.
Follow the models that work - they are all over the country and well known in education circles - problem is they are contrary to the teacher union hold on education.
The fact we routinely pay $60 or $100 for a text book that won't even last past 2 years is insane. Why wouldn't we just GIVE a paperback version of the textbook for the student to KEEP?
His school district laid him off to make room for a junior teacher that would fit into their Spanish educational plans! Any sane person would have realized we need to replicate the best teachers methods into 100 outstanding teachers. Then have each new excellent teacher help train 10 more.
Now we have 1,000 excellent teachers in only about 2 years.
Instead we just keep accepting failure as a way of life in the public school systems. There just is really no downside to most teachers or schools. LAUSD doesn't even graduate 50% of its students, yet everybody there still gets full pay????? And raises!
Perhaps you don't understand the meaning of the word "lobby". I don't remember any lawmakers who also run schools?
No, I don't think education is as good as it could be, for many reasons. First of all, a good education begins with the home environment. The neighborhood - attitudes, the culture. Children can't learn if they are hungry, either. Busy parents these days may not take the time to read to their kids. Too much TV.
The teacher is presented with a difficult situation to begin with in school districts like Newark. I do think getting more equipment, learning materials, computers, well paid teachers, remodeled classrooms could help. But no guarantee of lasting benefits. I just hope whoever controls how money is spent are not "businessmen", but trained educators and curriculum designers, principals, etc. Those who understand the community.
Property taxes are awfully high now in many areas - they are carrying the schools in more wealthy communities. It's sad that we spent so much on the military industrial complex that our infrastructure, including many of our schools has crumbled. Our priorities have been shallow IMO.
I do hope these students can be introduced to a real and motivating education, but I guess I have my doubts for the long term.
(But the fact is that the dishonest admin. of the schools may end up with a lot of that, we would need a education Czar to watch over the funds.)
Wouldnt it would be a way for the rich to give a little back. Anyone who does should be praised!
The root of the matter. Some people would like ignorance to become America's new name.
Fanned and faved.