Pouring Five Billion Dollars Into Education
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Ask which philanthropist is the greatest supporter of education and most people answer Bill Gates. Since 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has poured $5 billion into education.
In 2004, the Foundation funded smaller schools. Although there were positive outcomes such as less acting up in class, better attendance and closer interaction with adults, there was little impact on students going to college.
While Gates supports a core curriculum and wants to make certain that multiplication in Alabama is the same as in New York, his major concern is effective teaching. Are good teachers those who help kids who are behind, or ahead; do they have the ability to make subjects interesting?
The project is trying to measure effects of classroom management; clear objectives; diagnosing, correcting and measuring common student errors and is collecting such data and videos from 13,000 lessons taught by 3,000 elementary teachers in seven urban districts.
Read the Gates' interview in The Wall Street Journal.
Reported By Dr. Marciene Mattleman, KYW Newsradio
