Facebook CEO Donates $100 Million to Newark Schools Limiting State Influence of District

By Kelsey Murray - EduInReview.com

Who says Facebook takes away from the academic learning experience? Sure, the social site has been dinged for being a constant excuse to take multiple study breaks, but now Facebook is actually improving public schools. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, recently announced plans to donate $100 million to help improve public schools in Newark, New Jersey.



Zuckerberg does not have any personal connections to Newark Public Schools. However, when he met with Mayor Cory Booker in July, the two men began to devise a plan. They then approached Governor Chris Christie, asking him to "cede some control of the state-run system" to local officials.

This $100 million is only an initial gift that is part of a plan to create a foundation for improving education. The goal is that by placing control of this school system into the hands of local officials - and taking the control away from state officials who might not understand the problems as well - Newark will be able to improve its test scores and graduation rates. For the record, Newark has had the lowest rates in the state for years.

Some possible uses for the new funds would be to expand charter schools, increase the testing standards, and reward teachers and administrators when their students improve.

What are your thoughts? Can this transition from state control to local control improve the quality of education for our kids? Could this be the start of a more wide-spread effort to give the local level more influence over their districts? How would your district best use a $100 million influx of cash?

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