Facebook 'likes' Newark schools. Now what? Invest wisely,
Zuckerberg.  Newark schools need real change, not just the kind
in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s piggy bank.     • close
View Caption  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg just ponied up $100
million for the chronically failing Newark, N.J., public
schools. Newark already spends $22,000 per year (twice the
national average) on each of its 40,000 students, yet less than
half graduate. That means the tab for each graduate's time in
high school is – take a breath, dear taxpayer – more than
$160,000. So will $100 million make a difference? Maybe – if Mr.
Zuckerberg focuses it on what really counts.  Some tips: Put
simply, teachers rule. Learning in any building rises or falls
on the motivation, commitment, and talent of teachers. Yes, a
student must want to learn, the parent(s) at home must back up
the school each day, and a principal must maintain order. But
the yellow brick road to an educated citizen is a series of
competent, inspiring teachers using an en