The problem with schools in a place like Newark is that they serve as a rare source of economic opportunity in an otherwise shithole neighborhood. Schools are a font of money in a place where almost every other economic activity is illegal.
That's why reforming a school is a shit show. Its the place where everyone is feeding at the teat.
Here is one possible solution for a billionaire to try. It won't work for anything but a tiny minority of students at the moment, but it will shine a light on how our education problems are a problem of the education bureaucracy, and not of the students.
Set up a magnate boarding school, outside of the city (perhaps even outside the state). Run it EXACTLY the way you want to run it. Let anyone apply. Give admission based on a lottery ... not on the basis of an examination ... so no one can accuse you of taking only the best kids.
Offer free room/board/education.
Start only with first graders. Then add a grade, every year, as your first class ages. In 12 years you will graduate your first class of students.
Hire the best teachers. Spend a lot on infrastructure. Teach programming/science/technology. Make partnerships with the best universities. Get internships for your students in start ups and companies, using your connections. Maybe your own company can hire some of them.
Show the world what kids from an inner city failed neighborhood can do, without the interference of these teachers and their unions.
When your kids succeed, however spectacularly, or modestly, that will be a beacon.
Encourage your graduates to give back to the school. You will still hemorrhage cash every year, it may never be sustainable without your continued involvement ... but it would be the kind of experiment that would leave an impact for decades ... and if you succeeded in making it sustainable, maybe for centuries.
That's why reforming a school is a shit show. Its the place where everyone is feeding at the teat.
Here is one possible solution for a billionaire to try. It won't work for anything but a tiny minority of students at the moment, but it will shine a light on how our education problems are a problem of the education bureaucracy, and not of the students.
Set up a magnate boarding school, outside of the city (perhaps even outside the state). Run it EXACTLY the way you want to run it. Let anyone apply. Give admission based on a lottery ... not on the basis of an examination ... so no one can accuse you of taking only the best kids.
Offer free room/board/education.
Start only with first graders. Then add a grade, every year, as your first class ages. In 12 years you will graduate your first class of students.
Hire the best teachers. Spend a lot on infrastructure. Teach programming/science/technology. Make partnerships with the best universities. Get internships for your students in start ups and companies, using your connections. Maybe your own company can hire some of them.
Show the world what kids from an inner city failed neighborhood can do, without the interference of these teachers and their unions.
When your kids succeed, however spectacularly, or modestly, that will be a beacon.
Encourage your graduates to give back to the school. You will still hemorrhage cash every year, it may never be sustainable without your continued involvement ... but it would be the kind of experiment that would leave an impact for decades ... and if you succeeded in making it sustainable, maybe for centuries.