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The Prize: Who's in Charge of America's Schools?
A New York Times Bestseller
Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Christie, and Cory Booker were ready to reform our failing schools. They got an education.
When Mark Zuckerberg announced to a cheering Oprah audience his $100 million pledge to transform the downtrodden schools of Newark, New Jersey, then mayor Cory Booker and Governor Chris Christie were beside him, vowing to help make Newark “a symbol of educational excellence for the whole nation.” But their plans soon ran into the city’s seasoned education players, fierce protectors of their billion-dollar-a-year system. It’s a prize that, for generations, has enriched seemingly everyone, except Newark’s children.
Dale Russakoff delivers a riveting drama of our times, encompassing the rise of celebrity politics, big philanthropy, extreme economic inequality, the charter school movement, and the struggles and triumphs of schools in one of the nation’s poorest cities. As Cory Booker navigates between his status as “rock star mayor” on Oprah’s stage and object of considerable distrust at home, the tumultuous changes planned by reformers and their highly paid consultants spark a fiery grass-roots opposition stoked by local politicians and union leaders. The growth of charters forces the hand of Newark’s school superintendent Cami Anderson, who closes, consolidates, or redesigns more than a third of the city’s schools—a scenario on the horizon for many urban districts across America.
Russakoff provides a close-up view of twenty-six-year-old Mark Zuckerberg and his wife as they decide to give the immense sum of money to Newark and then experience an education of their own amid the fallout of the reforms. Most moving are Russakoff’s portraits from inside classrooms, as homegrown teachers and principals battle heroically to reach students damaged by extreme poverty and violence.
The Prize is an absorbing portrait of a titanic struggle, indispensable for anyone who cares about the future of public education and the nation’s children.
Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Christie, and Cory Booker were ready to reform our failing schools. They got an education.
When Mark Zuckerberg announced to a cheering Oprah audience his $100 million pledge to transform the downtrodden schools of Newark, New Jersey, then mayor Cory Booker and Governor Chris Christie were beside him, vowing to help make Newark “a symbol of educational excellence for the whole nation.” But their plans soon ran into the city’s seasoned education players, fierce protectors of their billion-dollar-a-year system. It’s a prize that, for generations, has enriched seemingly everyone, except Newark’s children.
Dale Russakoff delivers a riveting drama of our times, encompassing the rise of celebrity politics, big philanthropy, extreme economic inequality, the charter school movement, and the struggles and triumphs of schools in one of the nation’s poorest cities. As Cory Booker navigates between his status as “rock star mayor” on Oprah’s stage and object of considerable distrust at home, the tumultuous changes planned by reformers and their highly paid consultants spark a fiery grass-roots opposition stoked by local politicians and union leaders. The growth of charters forces the hand of Newark’s school superintendent Cami Anderson, who closes, consolidates, or redesigns more than a third of the city’s schools—a scenario on the horizon for many urban districts across America.
Russakoff provides a close-up view of twenty-six-year-old Mark Zuckerberg and his wife as they decide to give the immense sum of money to Newark and then experience an education of their own amid the fallout of the reforms. Most moving are Russakoff’s portraits from inside classrooms, as homegrown teachers and principals battle heroically to reach students damaged by extreme poverty and violence.
The Prize is an absorbing portrait of a titanic struggle, indispensable for anyone who cares about the future of public education and the nation’s children.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
June 29, 2024
3.5 stars
I did learn things from this book, namely how poorly many students in urban school districts are faring due to a system that doesn’t properly invest in them. Dale Russakoff’s writing was solid, intelligent, and readable and she portrayed well how big philanthropy, politicians and administrators who pay and reward themselves handsomely, and the charter school movement contribute to these educational crises. There were many players in the Newark school system operating at different levels (i.e., individual, systemic) so props to Russakoff for capturing all of that. Of course the biggest props should go to the teachers who were and are doing their best for these children.
Even though Russakoff’s writing was engaging and informative, I was a bit confused by her take on philanthropy at times. Toward the beginning of the book she writes “almost all philanthropy is by definition undemocratic, its priorities set by wealthy donors and boards of trustees,” which I agreed with, though later on in the book the tone she takes toward Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan seemed too laudatory and forgiving for me. I thought Russakoff could have more head on addressed poverty as the core issue affecting these students, even if that may have been a bit outside the scope of her reporting. Still, this was a book that I think may be important for those who grew up in more privileged school districts/educational and class backgrounds (of which I myself am included).
I did learn things from this book, namely how poorly many students in urban school districts are faring due to a system that doesn’t properly invest in them. Dale Russakoff’s writing was solid, intelligent, and readable and she portrayed well how big philanthropy, politicians and administrators who pay and reward themselves handsomely, and the charter school movement contribute to these educational crises. There were many players in the Newark school system operating at different levels (i.e., individual, systemic) so props to Russakoff for capturing all of that. Of course the biggest props should go to the teachers who were and are doing their best for these children.
Even though Russakoff’s writing was engaging and informative, I was a bit confused by her take on philanthropy at times. Toward the beginning of the book she writes “almost all philanthropy is by definition undemocratic, its priorities set by wealthy donors and boards of trustees,” which I agreed with, though later on in the book the tone she takes toward Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan seemed too laudatory and forgiving for me. I thought Russakoff could have more head on addressed poverty as the core issue affecting these students, even if that may have been a bit outside the scope of her reporting. Still, this was a book that I think may be important for those who grew up in more privileged school districts/educational and class backgrounds (of which I myself am included).
February 10, 2017
Rating: 4* of five
My goddesses. The amount of money in this big-city school system's budget is boggling. It's no wonder it resists reform! Too many people make too good a living off the status quo, from the practitioners to the participants to the persecutors. After all, if something is failing, there's money to be made from "fixing" it, right?
My review is live now.
My goddesses. The amount of money in this big-city school system's budget is boggling. It's no wonder it resists reform! Too many people make too good a living off the status quo, from the practitioners to the participants to the persecutors. After all, if something is failing, there's money to be made from "fixing" it, right?
My review is live now.
September 30, 2015
Bring together Mayor Cory Booker, Governor Chris Christie & a $100 million dollar philanthropic gift from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and what do you get?? The debacle to reform Newark's failing children & school system. In one of the nations poorest cities the stage was set and plans were devised to save Newark's school children. However, as a reader it became clear that the folks in charge boosted their own careers and education reform was hopelessly myried in the status quo.
One sentence sums this book up perfectly for me, "Consultants, political figures/staff and reformers got paid large sums of money but Raheem still can't read!"
One sentence sums this book up perfectly for me, "Consultants, political figures/staff and reformers got paid large sums of money but Raheem still can't read!"
February 21, 2016
I read this for my grad school class on policy analysis (as a case study in mismanagement and lack of clear lines of accountability). It was a nuanced, entertaining, and incredibly pertinent lens into the topic. I consistently interested in the different stories Russakoff weaves together -- especially the subplots focused on individual teachers and students in the Newark school system. Beyond that, the writing itself was just masterful; it felt like I was watching a Greek tragedy unfold between Zuckerberg, Anderson, Christie, and Booker.
Highly recommend to those interested in the pitfalls of ed reform, and those who wonder why so many policies seem to leave schools and communities no better off than where they started.
Highly recommend to those interested in the pitfalls of ed reform, and those who wonder why so many policies seem to leave schools and communities no better off than where they started.
October 29, 2015
When Mark Zuckerberg’s hundred million dollar gift to the Newark schools was announced, I was thrilled. I love philanthrocapitalism and social entrepreneurship. I was looking forward to follow up coverage of the schools’ progress. With a hundred million dollars, how could they fail? But apparently, money alone isn’t enough. Newark’s problems were too entrenched, the public was too distrustful of the people administering the money, and ideological and personality differences got in the way. To cut to the conclusion, the main problem was poor communication between the donors, the receivers, and the many people in between them. Had there been more direct communication with the community about what their most pressing needs were, perhaps the money would have been applied more effectively. The author gives everyone involved credit for the best of intentions, but the best of intentions don’t always lead to the best results.
For me, the book was a cautionary tale. My own school district, East Ramapo, has been in the news in recent years for problems of its own. Though we are much smaller than Newark, all the problems of poverty are the same, plus there’s the complication that a sizable portion of our population are religious Jews who opt out of the public school system. In Newark, the African American community had been burnt by reform efforts before Zuckerberg’s, so it was suspicious of outsiders coming in. One of the quotes the author cites two separate times is that in Newark, people get conspiracy theories with their mothers’ milk. The conspiracy theory here is that the Jews are in charge of everything and are stealing from the public schools and giving to the yeshivos. The Jews are in charge of the school board, so some of the charges may be true. With all that distrust, it will be hard and perhaps impossible for me, a wig-wearing Orthodox Jewish woman, to talk about peace here and be believed, much less accepted. Cami Anderson, the hand-picked superintendent of the Newark schools after the gift, ended up forced to resign. And she was strong, sympathetic, and immensely qualified. She still failed to win over the people’s trust.
Zuckerberg’s gift was applied both to the public schools’ teachers’ salaries and to fund several charter schools. The book makes a fair case of the pros and cons of both systems. At the charter schools, the teachers had more freedom to do things outside of class to support their students’ education, even going so far as to carpool the kids. Non-teaching activities are forbidden by public school teachers’ contracts. Now, I can understand why the teachers’ union negotiated for that, but in driving the kids to school, the charter school teachers improved their students’ attendance and therefore, their educational outcomes. I also can’t blame any parent or teacher for preferring the charter schools. They’re more innovative. But they are effectively starving the public school system. I don’t know which way is right.
Ultimately, the most compelling sections of the book were about the students and teachers themselves, stories of underserved kids who made great strides because of the teachers who worked with them. Such kids and teachers came from both types of schools – the public and the charters. Every one of them did remarkable, inspiring work. But there was so much else against them, the kids ultimately backslid in their teen years. The tragedy of Alif Beyah is far more profound than the failure of Cami Anderson. May G-d help him to bounce back.
The teachers who made the biggest difference were the ones who addressed the individual needs of each child. The book emphasizes the “bottom up” approach to change, as opposed to “top down.” Addressing the needs of the individual child really is getting to the bottom of the issue. Ideally, all education should be tailor-made to the individual, though of course, socialization in a group must also be part of it. But that kind of education would require many more teachers, and therefore, much more money. Does the political will exist for that? Somehow, I doubt it.
Even still, there’s reason to hope. I heard the author on an interview, and she said that gains were made in all this. Now Newark is correcting the mistakes it made. Progress is never a straight line upward. May G-d help all of us to solve the education problem.
For me, the book was a cautionary tale. My own school district, East Ramapo, has been in the news in recent years for problems of its own. Though we are much smaller than Newark, all the problems of poverty are the same, plus there’s the complication that a sizable portion of our population are religious Jews who opt out of the public school system. In Newark, the African American community had been burnt by reform efforts before Zuckerberg’s, so it was suspicious of outsiders coming in. One of the quotes the author cites two separate times is that in Newark, people get conspiracy theories with their mothers’ milk. The conspiracy theory here is that the Jews are in charge of everything and are stealing from the public schools and giving to the yeshivos. The Jews are in charge of the school board, so some of the charges may be true. With all that distrust, it will be hard and perhaps impossible for me, a wig-wearing Orthodox Jewish woman, to talk about peace here and be believed, much less accepted. Cami Anderson, the hand-picked superintendent of the Newark schools after the gift, ended up forced to resign. And she was strong, sympathetic, and immensely qualified. She still failed to win over the people’s trust.
Zuckerberg’s gift was applied both to the public schools’ teachers’ salaries and to fund several charter schools. The book makes a fair case of the pros and cons of both systems. At the charter schools, the teachers had more freedom to do things outside of class to support their students’ education, even going so far as to carpool the kids. Non-teaching activities are forbidden by public school teachers’ contracts. Now, I can understand why the teachers’ union negotiated for that, but in driving the kids to school, the charter school teachers improved their students’ attendance and therefore, their educational outcomes. I also can’t blame any parent or teacher for preferring the charter schools. They’re more innovative. But they are effectively starving the public school system. I don’t know which way is right.
Ultimately, the most compelling sections of the book were about the students and teachers themselves, stories of underserved kids who made great strides because of the teachers who worked with them. Such kids and teachers came from both types of schools – the public and the charters. Every one of them did remarkable, inspiring work. But there was so much else against them, the kids ultimately backslid in their teen years. The tragedy of Alif Beyah is far more profound than the failure of Cami Anderson. May G-d help him to bounce back.
The teachers who made the biggest difference were the ones who addressed the individual needs of each child. The book emphasizes the “bottom up” approach to change, as opposed to “top down.” Addressing the needs of the individual child really is getting to the bottom of the issue. Ideally, all education should be tailor-made to the individual, though of course, socialization in a group must also be part of it. But that kind of education would require many more teachers, and therefore, much more money. Does the political will exist for that? Somehow, I doubt it.
Even still, there’s reason to hope. I heard the author on an interview, and she said that gains were made in all this. Now Newark is correcting the mistakes it made. Progress is never a straight line upward. May G-d help all of us to solve the education problem.
November 16, 2018
Frustrating. It's clear that many education reformers are partisan politicians more interested in union busting than raising achievement in low-income schools, but, in this instance, it seems that many of the people involved actually had good intentions. The massive amount of money Mark Zuckerberg donated to Newark, NJ schools undoubtedly came from a genuine desire to help. The failure of that money to accomplish much of anything is more of a testament to hubris and clusterfuck bureaucracy than to any sort of nefarious dealings. Nevertheless, it's shameful that people like Governor Christie, Mayor Booker, and assorted cronies were so incapable of acknowledging stakeholders, thinking creatively and coming up with an innovative solution. It doesn't speak well for the future of US public schools or solutions in general.
It's a pressing issue, and it's effectively explored here in The Prize, a reference to Newark Schools oversized yet still ineffectual budget. The book feels a lot longer than its 300 pages for some reason, but the subject matter is interesting and Russakoff does a great job of providing context, acknowledging stakeholders--the lack of doing so being Booker and company's fatal flaw--and providing a mostly impartial account. I'd recommend it for someone with a lot of interest in this school district and these players, even if it's not quite the definitive look at what's ailing American schools or how to solve their myriad problems.
It's a pressing issue, and it's effectively explored here in The Prize, a reference to Newark Schools oversized yet still ineffectual budget. The book feels a lot longer than its 300 pages for some reason, but the subject matter is interesting and Russakoff does a great job of providing context, acknowledging stakeholders--the lack of doing so being Booker and company's fatal flaw--and providing a mostly impartial account. I'd recommend it for someone with a lot of interest in this school district and these players, even if it's not quite the definitive look at what's ailing American schools or how to solve their myriad problems.
July 14, 2017
I read this book because I wanted to learn about the steps that the state and local governments took to try to fix the Newark school system. I know that the attempt was a giant failure because Russakoff says so in the opening pages.
It bothered me, though, that she cast blame so easily. According to Russakoff, Mayor Booker is a vain shyster who seeks the limelight, whose eyes are on the national prize, to the detriment of Newark’s residents. Governor Christie is a naïve ingénue who had no control over the school system — although the New Jersey constitution gave him authority over the district schools. Russakoff’s dislike of Booker is evident on every page. To be sure, I am not one of Booker’s groupies, but she casts aspersions on all of his actions and inactions while Christie remains blameless.
But what really irked me, and why I refuse to give this book more than one star, is her treatment of Dr. Clement Price. Dr. Price earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers New Brunswick. He was a respected historian. Yet Russakoff treated his honorific as if it were some quirky pet name given to him by Newark residents: “Raised under segregation in Washington, D.C., the son of a federal civil servant and a teacher, the gentlemanly and distinguished scholar was known deferentially throughout Newark as ‘Dr. Price’….”. She never once calls him by the honorific, but, in her acknowledgements, she lists other holders of doctorates with their due honorific.
Why the disrespect?
It bothered me, though, that she cast blame so easily. According to Russakoff, Mayor Booker is a vain shyster who seeks the limelight, whose eyes are on the national prize, to the detriment of Newark’s residents. Governor Christie is a naïve ingénue who had no control over the school system — although the New Jersey constitution gave him authority over the district schools. Russakoff’s dislike of Booker is evident on every page. To be sure, I am not one of Booker’s groupies, but she casts aspersions on all of his actions and inactions while Christie remains blameless.
But what really irked me, and why I refuse to give this book more than one star, is her treatment of Dr. Clement Price. Dr. Price earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers New Brunswick. He was a respected historian. Yet Russakoff treated his honorific as if it were some quirky pet name given to him by Newark residents: “Raised under segregation in Washington, D.C., the son of a federal civil servant and a teacher, the gentlemanly and distinguished scholar was known deferentially throughout Newark as ‘Dr. Price’….”. She never once calls him by the honorific, but, in her acknowledgements, she lists other holders of doctorates with their due honorific.
Why the disrespect?
February 19, 2016
Russakoff's well-reported and even-handed book is a sobering commentary of how the $100 million philanthropic endeavor to fix Newark's systemically-broken school system failed to make the impact its architects believed it would. As always, the moral: a good teacher is hard to find and impossible to replace. Consultants and executives? Quite the opposite.
December 24, 2015
I want to give a realistic and brief review for anyone who is either considering or ambivalent of reading this book.
The overall focus of this book was implementing a propitiation by fixing America's schools starting in New Newark, New Jersey from December 2009- May 2014.
Why this book is worth the read:
It gives an actual timeline of how implementing a proposed propitiation was progressing through the eyes of the mayor, Governor and Mark Zukerberg the creator of facebook and their true intentions revolving around Public Education in New Newkark, NJ. It even goes into the back story of Cami Anderson who was the superintendent at the time of what she did to try to fix the problem in New Newark, NJ school systems. It is rare to find a book with a perceptive of the school's superintendent and I appreciate that they create a picture for us that she like others had good intentions for the students enrolled in these schools but, without giving it too much a way may had implement actions that were considered extreme.
This book is a great example of how even plans that may have had good intentions could become a blazing fire for many people. I don't want to give this book away too much but, I highly recommend looking into Appendix A will show you where all the money was disturbed from this potential propitiation . It would also be great to do a fellow up of how New Newark New Jersey is doing in a few years from now just to see if their proposed data was right.
Dale Rusakoff did a marvelous job of showing us a realistic point of view that the school systems in America will not be resolved soon and that we all have a long way to go to solve this problem but, we must not give up for the sake of the future generation of all children in America to receive the education that they deserve.
I highly recommend this book for principals, superintendents, teachers, parents and community members that care about our future generations of children that are planning to implement change in their own school districts to understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to create change.
thank you for taking the time to read this review and have a wonderful day!
The overall focus of this book was implementing a propitiation by fixing America's schools starting in New Newark, New Jersey from December 2009- May 2014.
Why this book is worth the read:
It gives an actual timeline of how implementing a proposed propitiation was progressing through the eyes of the mayor, Governor and Mark Zukerberg the creator of facebook and their true intentions revolving around Public Education in New Newkark, NJ. It even goes into the back story of Cami Anderson who was the superintendent at the time of what she did to try to fix the problem in New Newark, NJ school systems. It is rare to find a book with a perceptive of the school's superintendent and I appreciate that they create a picture for us that she like others had good intentions for the students enrolled in these schools but, without giving it too much a way may had implement actions that were considered extreme.
This book is a great example of how even plans that may have had good intentions could become a blazing fire for many people. I don't want to give this book away too much but, I highly recommend looking into Appendix A will show you where all the money was disturbed from this potential propitiation . It would also be great to do a fellow up of how New Newark New Jersey is doing in a few years from now just to see if their proposed data was right.
Dale Rusakoff did a marvelous job of showing us a realistic point of view that the school systems in America will not be resolved soon and that we all have a long way to go to solve this problem but, we must not give up for the sake of the future generation of all children in America to receive the education that they deserve.
I highly recommend this book for principals, superintendents, teachers, parents and community members that care about our future generations of children that are planning to implement change in their own school districts to understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to create change.
thank you for taking the time to read this review and have a wonderful day!
July 1, 2016
This is a relatively short book that needs to be five times bigger to give a proper perspective of the problems plaguing public schools in impoverished urban areas (in this case Newark, NJ).
What we get is a beauty pageant of up and coming politicians, public education rock stars from the NYC school system and a few wealthy philanthropists who think they have what it takes to turn a public school system disaster into a national model for public education reform (hint: charter schools, monetary incentives and superstar teachers form the bulk of the secret formula).
What we don't get is any meaningful discussion of the structural problems that will continue to keep failing public school systems like Newark's at the very bottom. Books such as The Corner (by David Simon), The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (by Jeff Hobbs); and There Are No Children Here (by Alex Kotlowitz) all illustrate the corrosiveness of poverty on the people it entraps. Poverty and poor education seem so hopelessly enmeshed I don't think it's possible to make systemic improvements.
As far as the book itself goes it's very readable and moves along at a good pace. Cory Booker takes a real beating and I wasn't sure if that's fair or not. A few others are treated with too much reverence to be credible.
The highlights for me were a few excerpts from blistering critiques of the failing public schools in America. The author had a good eye for funny sarcasm. Here's a sample:
"Discontent over public education had been galvanized in 1983 by a five-alarm federal report, A Nation at Risk, announcing that American students had fallen significantly behind those in other industrialized countries, jeopardizing the nation's economic competitiveness. "If an unfriendly power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war," the report said."
What we get is a beauty pageant of up and coming politicians, public education rock stars from the NYC school system and a few wealthy philanthropists who think they have what it takes to turn a public school system disaster into a national model for public education reform (hint: charter schools, monetary incentives and superstar teachers form the bulk of the secret formula).
What we don't get is any meaningful discussion of the structural problems that will continue to keep failing public school systems like Newark's at the very bottom. Books such as The Corner (by David Simon), The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (by Jeff Hobbs); and There Are No Children Here (by Alex Kotlowitz) all illustrate the corrosiveness of poverty on the people it entraps. Poverty and poor education seem so hopelessly enmeshed I don't think it's possible to make systemic improvements.
As far as the book itself goes it's very readable and moves along at a good pace. Cory Booker takes a real beating and I wasn't sure if that's fair or not. A few others are treated with too much reverence to be credible.
The highlights for me were a few excerpts from blistering critiques of the failing public schools in America. The author had a good eye for funny sarcasm. Here's a sample:
"Discontent over public education had been galvanized in 1983 by a five-alarm federal report, A Nation at Risk, announcing that American students had fallen significantly behind those in other industrialized countries, jeopardizing the nation's economic competitiveness. "If an unfriendly power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war," the report said."
June 19, 2017
This book provides a very good overview of how 3 men (Christ Christie, Corey Booker and Mark Zuckerberg) and $100M failed to turn around education in Newark, NJ. Although there were various factors at play, one key thing that I learned here is that we cannot take a top down approach when it comes to making dramatic changes within a community. The local residents have to be involved. If not, they won't buy into it and change won't occur. Because there was a large sum of money involved, a bunch of outside experts came into Newark, believing that they knew best and everyone else should get out of their way. In doing so, they overlooked certain things, such as budget gaps for the district schools, as charter schools opened up too quickly, and the district schools couldn't be closed as quickly as some had hoped.
The other key learning for me here is that an understanding of the community and its the needs of its children is imperative to helping children succeed academically. The kids of Newark have been through so much trauma that they need extra services and a larger support network to keep them engaged in and in school. It truly does take a village to raise many of America's children - otherwise, we will continue to lose generations of young people to crime, violence and overall despair.
There are other factors that the books goes into, such as the tenure of teachers and public district versus public charter schools. The author also gives an inside look at Christie and Booker, both of whom really missed the boat here. Frankly, my opinion of Booker, went down quite a bit after reading this book. He isn't really the type of man who I thought he was.
All in all, an interesting read that I recommend.
The other key learning for me here is that an understanding of the community and its the needs of its children is imperative to helping children succeed academically. The kids of Newark have been through so much trauma that they need extra services and a larger support network to keep them engaged in and in school. It truly does take a village to raise many of America's children - otherwise, we will continue to lose generations of young people to crime, violence and overall despair.
There are other factors that the books goes into, such as the tenure of teachers and public district versus public charter schools. The author also gives an inside look at Christie and Booker, both of whom really missed the boat here. Frankly, my opinion of Booker, went down quite a bit after reading this book. He isn't really the type of man who I thought he was.
All in all, an interesting read that I recommend.
December 30, 2024
"The Prize" is an interesting story about "the race to save our failing schools" in the same way a fiery smash-up is the entertaining part of a NASCAR race.
Why do we keep reinventing the Hindenburg and then shoving our children on it and then acting surprised when it explodes?! Because we pretend not to know that airplanes exist.
The narrative here revolves around the conflict between clumsy reformers and parasitic unions, all of which is sound and fury beside the point. The context of what works for urban school reform is completely lacking. The author remarks repeatedly that the underlying problem is concentrated poverty, but she doesn't inform us that the proven overall solution is economic integration, as was done in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nor does she clarify what's evidence-based when it comes to smaller-scale efforts. The shambolic outcome in Newark was predictable. The lessons of the story are obscured by the narrow focus on the celebrity drama.
Another book to consider:
Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh
Why do we keep reinventing the Hindenburg and then shoving our children on it and then acting surprised when it explodes?! Because we pretend not to know that airplanes exist.
The narrative here revolves around the conflict between clumsy reformers and parasitic unions, all of which is sound and fury beside the point. The context of what works for urban school reform is completely lacking. The author remarks repeatedly that the underlying problem is concentrated poverty, but she doesn't inform us that the proven overall solution is economic integration, as was done in Raleigh, North Carolina. Nor does she clarify what's evidence-based when it comes to smaller-scale efforts. The shambolic outcome in Newark was predictable. The lessons of the story are obscured by the narrow focus on the celebrity drama.
Another book to consider:
Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh
February 8, 2016
I highly recommend this book as a lesson in school reform. Russakoff paints a scathing picture of the reform leaders in Newark (Anderson, Booker, Christie) whose mostly good intentions come to naught when they fail to consult, engage, or rally the actual people of Newark with the most stake in public education. Interestingly, the person who comes off the best in this story is Zuckerberg, who seems to have genuinely learned from this experience and is apparently taking these lessons with him back to the Bay where he intends to engage parents and teachers in his new $120 million reform effort. Money is needed, good teachers are essential, dynamic leaders are crucial... but the big lesson is: “Movements that don’t include beneficiaries are doomed to fail.”
October 7, 2015
Do you want to feel good about your own public school's shortcomings? This book will make you so grateful for the minor problems that you have in your schools.
This is the true story about how Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Christie and Cory Booker put $200 million dollars into the Newark NJ public schools to try to reform it.
It's interesting. It's disheartening. There are so many things wrong with the current system in NJ that it seems like an insurmountable problem.
I was left with the impression that the community was largely to blame--too many kids coming from unstable homes--parents who were constantly getting evicted, parents with drug addictions, parents who didn't care about their own kids' education. Add to that the fact that the majority of people who came in to help save their schools were white and it caused a severe backlash of "we don't want you white people coming in trying to help us." Which I don't get. The other glaring problem was the protections the teachers and principal's unions offered to really poor teachers. The "reformers" ended up spending 37 million dollars to pay the bad teachers NOT to teach so that they could hire new teachers. The union rules made it clear that seniority determined that if teachers were to be fired, the newest would have to leave, and the most senior would have to stay. Boo to the unions in this case.
However, in the NPR review, Dale Russakoff the author, left me with more of an impression that different factors were the bigger players. She talked more about how the well intentioned politicians went about making the change in the wrong way. She seemed to place more of the blame on the methods for change and in the specialists that they hired, as well as the political changes that made the politicians who had taken on this project move on to other interests and causes.
My favorite parts of the books were the personal stories about how multiple staff members would encircle one child and work their hardest to help that child succeed--if that meant that a young mother couldn't get her kindergartener on the bus with enough regularity, that the teacher or principal would drive to his house and pick him up to bring him to school. Or in the case of a high schooler who excelled in sports, but couldn't read at more than a 2nd grade level--summer school, endless hours of one on one tutoring after school, and just lots of psychological boosting and motivation! These interventions worked for the few years that the reforms were in place, but when the project failed and things went back to how they were before, it was impossible to continue that amount of support per child and these kids fell back into their old patterns and habits--or in the case of the high school sports kidr--much worse.
I loved Mark Zuckerburg's idea of taking "business principles" into the schools, for instance paying a successful competent teacher a bonus that would double her annual salary to reward teachers who were doing a great job. But because of union rules and state rules, this didn't work out so well.
I was also surprised to learn that Cory Booker was so vapid. I'd read about him in Oprah and followed his self-created media campaign about what a mover and a shaker he is in the political world. This books shows how much of a big talker he is and how little he actually accomplishes. I had no idea he was so much fluff and so little substance.
I did love the idea of a republican politician coming together with a democratic politician and a billionaire philanthropist to put aside their own political agendas and try to work together to truly help the people they serve. It was a beautiful example of how things could work, and it is just so disappointing that it didn't work.
I recommend that anyone interested in the school system at large should read this book. It's eye opening. It's disheartening.
We're going to be talking about this book in our "Funner book group."
This is the true story about how Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Christie and Cory Booker put $200 million dollars into the Newark NJ public schools to try to reform it.
It's interesting. It's disheartening. There are so many things wrong with the current system in NJ that it seems like an insurmountable problem.
I was left with the impression that the community was largely to blame--too many kids coming from unstable homes--parents who were constantly getting evicted, parents with drug addictions, parents who didn't care about their own kids' education. Add to that the fact that the majority of people who came in to help save their schools were white and it caused a severe backlash of "we don't want you white people coming in trying to help us." Which I don't get. The other glaring problem was the protections the teachers and principal's unions offered to really poor teachers. The "reformers" ended up spending 37 million dollars to pay the bad teachers NOT to teach so that they could hire new teachers. The union rules made it clear that seniority determined that if teachers were to be fired, the newest would have to leave, and the most senior would have to stay. Boo to the unions in this case.
However, in the NPR review, Dale Russakoff the author, left me with more of an impression that different factors were the bigger players. She talked more about how the well intentioned politicians went about making the change in the wrong way. She seemed to place more of the blame on the methods for change and in the specialists that they hired, as well as the political changes that made the politicians who had taken on this project move on to other interests and causes.
My favorite parts of the books were the personal stories about how multiple staff members would encircle one child and work their hardest to help that child succeed--if that meant that a young mother couldn't get her kindergartener on the bus with enough regularity, that the teacher or principal would drive to his house and pick him up to bring him to school. Or in the case of a high schooler who excelled in sports, but couldn't read at more than a 2nd grade level--summer school, endless hours of one on one tutoring after school, and just lots of psychological boosting and motivation! These interventions worked for the few years that the reforms were in place, but when the project failed and things went back to how they were before, it was impossible to continue that amount of support per child and these kids fell back into their old patterns and habits--or in the case of the high school sports kidr--much worse.
I loved Mark Zuckerburg's idea of taking "business principles" into the schools, for instance paying a successful competent teacher a bonus that would double her annual salary to reward teachers who were doing a great job. But because of union rules and state rules, this didn't work out so well.
I was also surprised to learn that Cory Booker was so vapid. I'd read about him in Oprah and followed his self-created media campaign about what a mover and a shaker he is in the political world. This books shows how much of a big talker he is and how little he actually accomplishes. I had no idea he was so much fluff and so little substance.
I did love the idea of a republican politician coming together with a democratic politician and a billionaire philanthropist to put aside their own political agendas and try to work together to truly help the people they serve. It was a beautiful example of how things could work, and it is just so disappointing that it didn't work.
I recommend that anyone interested in the school system at large should read this book. It's eye opening. It's disheartening.
We're going to be talking about this book in our "Funner book group."
January 5, 2016
This is an extremely well-reported (and well-written), fascinating study of Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million pledge to Newark schools--how, why, and how successfully (or not) it was pledged and spent. Although the topic of public education is obviously politically charged, the book treats politicians, unions, charter schools, etc. even-handedly, and in so doing demonstrates why true reform is so difficult.
For example, she details the selection effect that helps charter schools and leaves the district in a worse position, but also includes commentary from a sympathetic district employee, who asks "what is it about charters that's scarier than four percent proficiency in math?" Or both the political opportunity--with Democratic Newark mayor Cory Booker partnering with Republican New Jersey governor Chris Christie--to push through meaningful reform, and also the challenge of doing so when the politicians have aims on higher office. Or the detail on which of the so-called reforms on teacher compensation are effective--that merit pay doesn't affect student outcomes, but that allowing principals to pick teachers (rather than a purely seniority-based system) does. Sheryl Sandberg, as a close colleague of Zuckerberg's, comes off as the most politically savvy and mature of all the principals--calling out the others for the lack of community engagement prior to implementing changes.
Most interesting, and compelling, to me was the detail on the district's financial position. Yes, Zuckerberg's gift (and the required matching donations to unlock it) was large, at $100 million, but this one-time donation pales in comparison to the district's $1 billion annual budget. And I came away more skeptical about the impact of charter schools overall but more optimistic about how they could affect a district like Newark, with its crippling overhead. Specifically,
"Many positions were unnecessary, created years earlier and still looked in by state civil service rules and seniority laws. These jobs were mostly near thebottom of hte pay scale, bestowing income and benefits on low-skilled workers for whom no similar opportunities existed in Newark. ... All of this reflected the district's history of operating as both a patronage mill and an educational institution, controlled by whatever political machine happened to be in office."
Remarkably, Newark spends about $20,000 per student, more than twice the figure in many comparable states or districts. But even though Newark charter schools spend about a quarter less, more money is spent in the classroom. I believe the experience in New Orleans was similar. The one quibble I had with the book is that it didn't comprehensively address the trend in student performance. The author notes that the money and changes weren't a panacea, but I'm interested in smaller-scale questions, whether things got a little bit better.
The discussion of how this gift, and the troubles it ran into, shaped Zuckerberg's future philanthropy, also is interesting. And I'm left contemplating how best to myself help disadvantaged kids--Zuckerberg's wife takes the following approach:
"As a pediatrician caring for underserved children, she became convinced that schools, on their own, were unlikely to meet the needs of students raised amid extreme poverty and violence. Working with educators and researchers, she is developing a school that would operate alongside a community health center, providing medical and mental health care in tandem with education and community-based services, creating a web of support for students with the greatest needs, beginning in early childhood."
For example, she details the selection effect that helps charter schools and leaves the district in a worse position, but also includes commentary from a sympathetic district employee, who asks "what is it about charters that's scarier than four percent proficiency in math?" Or both the political opportunity--with Democratic Newark mayor Cory Booker partnering with Republican New Jersey governor Chris Christie--to push through meaningful reform, and also the challenge of doing so when the politicians have aims on higher office. Or the detail on which of the so-called reforms on teacher compensation are effective--that merit pay doesn't affect student outcomes, but that allowing principals to pick teachers (rather than a purely seniority-based system) does. Sheryl Sandberg, as a close colleague of Zuckerberg's, comes off as the most politically savvy and mature of all the principals--calling out the others for the lack of community engagement prior to implementing changes.
Most interesting, and compelling, to me was the detail on the district's financial position. Yes, Zuckerberg's gift (and the required matching donations to unlock it) was large, at $100 million, but this one-time donation pales in comparison to the district's $1 billion annual budget. And I came away more skeptical about the impact of charter schools overall but more optimistic about how they could affect a district like Newark, with its crippling overhead. Specifically,
"Many positions were unnecessary, created years earlier and still looked in by state civil service rules and seniority laws. These jobs were mostly near thebottom of hte pay scale, bestowing income and benefits on low-skilled workers for whom no similar opportunities existed in Newark. ... All of this reflected the district's history of operating as both a patronage mill and an educational institution, controlled by whatever political machine happened to be in office."
Remarkably, Newark spends about $20,000 per student, more than twice the figure in many comparable states or districts. But even though Newark charter schools spend about a quarter less, more money is spent in the classroom. I believe the experience in New Orleans was similar. The one quibble I had with the book is that it didn't comprehensively address the trend in student performance. The author notes that the money and changes weren't a panacea, but I'm interested in smaller-scale questions, whether things got a little bit better.
The discussion of how this gift, and the troubles it ran into, shaped Zuckerberg's future philanthropy, also is interesting. And I'm left contemplating how best to myself help disadvantaged kids--Zuckerberg's wife takes the following approach:
"As a pediatrician caring for underserved children, she became convinced that schools, on their own, were unlikely to meet the needs of students raised amid extreme poverty and violence. Working with educators and researchers, she is developing a school that would operate alongside a community health center, providing medical and mental health care in tandem with education and community-based services, creating a web of support for students with the greatest needs, beginning in early childhood."
February 23, 2016
The Prize commands your attention.. An absorbing book and necessary read for all who think educational reform will ever be realized. I consider myself an optimist, but Russakoff's years of research took me on a painful roller coaster ride. Four powerful leaders with contributions of $200 million dollars join in a race to reform the Newark Public Schools. Lofty goals for sure, but obviously misplaced. It becomes evident in this case that political gain supersedes all. Once again, uninformed capitalists believe they can mold schools into their corporate model structure. NO!
It is not the teachers! You can't replace community schools without considering the insiders. What about people...students...parents...yes and those dedicated teachers? Support is needed on so many levels.
As the author concludes and I concur you need to "....put the real needs of children at the center of the national conversation about education reform, which in its ideological decisiveness is in danger of leaving them behind." (218)
Kudos to Dale Russakoff for unveiling the shortsightedness of people in power. This is a dynamic and valuable addition to the educational library book stacks.
~Wisteria Leigh
September 2015
It is not the teachers! You can't replace community schools without considering the insiders. What about people...students...parents...yes and those dedicated teachers? Support is needed on so many levels.
As the author concludes and I concur you need to "....put the real needs of children at the center of the national conversation about education reform, which in its ideological decisiveness is in danger of leaving them behind." (218)
Kudos to Dale Russakoff for unveiling the shortsightedness of people in power. This is a dynamic and valuable addition to the educational library book stacks.
~Wisteria Leigh
September 2015
June 14, 2020
I received this book in the mail. I did not order it, and I have no idea who did, but it was addressed to me so here we are.
I enjoyed reading this book. The writing was interesting and easy to follow. I learned a decent amount about Newark's attempts at education reform (or, arguably, the attempts that were imposed on Newark from the outside). Russakoff does an impressive job of remaining neutral, including a nuanced blend of positives and negatives for the characters and policies featured in the book. She does this so well that, even after finishing the book, I have no clear sense of where she stands on issues like charter schools. Unfortunately, Russakoff's neutrality made The Prize seem to lack a coherent purpose. It was generally not structured in a way to either expose me to new issues or to ask new questions of me, although Russakoff does effectively demonstrate the colonialism of many school reformers.
Overall, I wouldn't tell someone to avoid this book if they were interested in the topic, but I won't be suggesting it very actively either.
I enjoyed reading this book. The writing was interesting and easy to follow. I learned a decent amount about Newark's attempts at education reform (or, arguably, the attempts that were imposed on Newark from the outside). Russakoff does an impressive job of remaining neutral, including a nuanced blend of positives and negatives for the characters and policies featured in the book. She does this so well that, even after finishing the book, I have no clear sense of where she stands on issues like charter schools. Unfortunately, Russakoff's neutrality made The Prize seem to lack a coherent purpose. It was generally not structured in a way to either expose me to new issues or to ask new questions of me, although Russakoff does effectively demonstrate the colonialism of many school reformers.
Overall, I wouldn't tell someone to avoid this book if they were interested in the topic, but I won't be suggesting it very actively either.
May 15, 2019
I love this book. It gave a real insight into multiple large actors in the school reform movement. More than anything, it affirmed for me the importance of truly engaging the community in reform. Not just in name, but also in practice. Community buy-in is vital.
January 14, 2016
An interesting book about educational policy, unions, politics, reform, and lots and lots of money. Corey Booker--an asshole, in my opinion--and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie decided to raise $200 million dollars (half of it from Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook) to re-create the schools in Newark, NJ. Because the Newark schools were run by the state of New Jersey, Christie had a lot of latitude in dealing with the system. Because Booker made everyone in America think he was this marvelous, caring, committed mayor (he was none of those things), he used his formidable charm to convince the national school reformation movement (people like Bill Gates, the Walton family, and other rich white people) to focus all of their firepower on Newark. So they did.
Meanwhile, in Newark, the decades old urban Democratic machine responded as you'd imagine: badly. Schools, in cities especially, are sources of jobs, patronage, campaign muscle, and money. The teacher's union, the school board, the city selectman, and all of the people getting bites of the school budget pie, wanted nothing to do with reform. They fought the reformers tooth and nail. They resisted every change. The made the lives of the new superintendent, and her proxies, hell. They cried "racism!" They cried "classism!" They cried "local control!", and they won, mostly.
Caught in the middle of this "privatize now!" vs. "Democratic machine!" war were the most vulnerable and difficult children in America to educate: the urban poor. Charter schools? Public schools? Tutors? Extended days? Tests, test, and more tests? Fire low performing teachers? Hire more teachers? Change the curriculum? End tenure? Merit pay? All of this shit just bounces off urban schools, everywhere and always. $200 million dollars later (and that's in addition to the billion or so dollars Newark gets routinely as a part of its normal operating budget) the needle, as they say, did not move. Nothing got better, not one single thing.
But lots of adults got paid.
There are more charter schools in Newark now. Other than that, nothing is different. The children in Newark are still desperately poor and failing to learn. The overwhelming, vast majority of them--as is true of the overwhelming, vast majority of poor children everywhere in the United States--will be unprepared for the brutal economic and social realities of 21st century America. All this book recounts is a $200 million dollar exercise in futility.
Near the end of the book, Mark Zuckerberg's wife, a pediatrician named Priscilla Chan, arrived at the following solution:
What Ms. Chan has discovered is something called a full-service school, a solution I learned about years ago, and one that is not widely used due to its cost and logistical challenges. I am hopeful that she will be able to use her family's philanthropic might to make the full-service model more widely known and put into practice. If there is another solution to educating children living in deep poverty, I am unaware of it.
We will reap what we sew in this country. "The mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine." -Roman aphorism
Meanwhile, in Newark, the decades old urban Democratic machine responded as you'd imagine: badly. Schools, in cities especially, are sources of jobs, patronage, campaign muscle, and money. The teacher's union, the school board, the city selectman, and all of the people getting bites of the school budget pie, wanted nothing to do with reform. They fought the reformers tooth and nail. They resisted every change. The made the lives of the new superintendent, and her proxies, hell. They cried "racism!" They cried "classism!" They cried "local control!", and they won, mostly.
Caught in the middle of this "privatize now!" vs. "Democratic machine!" war were the most vulnerable and difficult children in America to educate: the urban poor. Charter schools? Public schools? Tutors? Extended days? Tests, test, and more tests? Fire low performing teachers? Hire more teachers? Change the curriculum? End tenure? Merit pay? All of this shit just bounces off urban schools, everywhere and always. $200 million dollars later (and that's in addition to the billion or so dollars Newark gets routinely as a part of its normal operating budget) the needle, as they say, did not move. Nothing got better, not one single thing.
But lots of adults got paid.
There are more charter schools in Newark now. Other than that, nothing is different. The children in Newark are still desperately poor and failing to learn. The overwhelming, vast majority of them--as is true of the overwhelming, vast majority of poor children everywhere in the United States--will be unprepared for the brutal economic and social realities of 21st century America. All this book recounts is a $200 million dollar exercise in futility.
Near the end of the book, Mark Zuckerberg's wife, a pediatrician named Priscilla Chan, arrived at the following solution:
Working with educators and researchers, she is developing a school that would operate alongside a community health center, providing medical and mental health care in tandem with education and community-based services, creating a web of support for students with the greatest needs, beginning in early childhood. The school and the health center would draw on neuroscience research to jointly address adverse childhood experiences--such as poverty, trauma, and neglect--that can interfere with a students ability to learn, even before kindergarten.
What Ms. Chan has discovered is something called a full-service school, a solution I learned about years ago, and one that is not widely used due to its cost and logistical challenges. I am hopeful that she will be able to use her family's philanthropic might to make the full-service model more widely known and put into practice. If there is another solution to educating children living in deep poverty, I am unaware of it.
We will reap what we sew in this country. "The mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine." -Roman aphorism
March 16, 2016
The title of The Prize refers to the one billion dollar budget that the Newark schools have to spend and the race to get that money into private hands. It all begins with the generous gift of Mark Zuckerberg who pledges one hundred million dollars to Cory Booker and Chris Christie to reform Newark's public schools. Knowing nothing about education, nothing about the problems facing the system (other than the kids weren't doing well) they decide that the two things they need to do are to break the teachers' union (tenure and seniority) and to tie pay to performance. No one asks the teachers in the trenches or involves the parents of the district.
Money is squandered on consultants, educators from other districts, and the result was the closing of neighborhood schools and the funneling of public funds into charters. This left the children to cross dangerous gang lines, upset the parents and generally threw the schools into chaos. Even the programs that were able to come to fruition did little to improve things. The kids who were left in the few public schools were those in most need of services as the charters skimmed off the cream.
Howard Fuller, the former Milwaukee superintendent passed through the district in 2014, cringing at the spectacle. "I think a lot of us education reformers have been too arrogant. It's not even what you do sometimes, it's the way you treat people in the process of doing it. If your approach is to get a lot of smart people in the room and figure out what 'these people' need and then we implement it, the first issue is who decided that you were smart? Why do you think you can just get in a room and make decisions for a community of people." Fuller gets it. That without the input of parents, the knowledge of the teachers in the district and a consensus among all the parties, nothing will get done.
In the end, the money ran out, the politicians went on to other races and the kids were left with the same poorly maintained schools with teachers who were beaten down and demoralized. Politicians and philanthropists need to stop thinking that only they have the answers to complex problems. In this case they were so sure that once they stripped away the rights of tenure and seniority, the kids would magically flourish. They neglected the poverty, the problems with single parent families, transience, and a whole lot more. The only winners were the charter school movement who made money because they spent less on the kids. It's time we stop insisting on "transformational" quick fixes and this fixation with test scores and look at what works, what is really needed and listen to those who know the problems first hand.
Money is squandered on consultants, educators from other districts, and the result was the closing of neighborhood schools and the funneling of public funds into charters. This left the children to cross dangerous gang lines, upset the parents and generally threw the schools into chaos. Even the programs that were able to come to fruition did little to improve things. The kids who were left in the few public schools were those in most need of services as the charters skimmed off the cream.
Howard Fuller, the former Milwaukee superintendent passed through the district in 2014, cringing at the spectacle. "I think a lot of us education reformers have been too arrogant. It's not even what you do sometimes, it's the way you treat people in the process of doing it. If your approach is to get a lot of smart people in the room and figure out what 'these people' need and then we implement it, the first issue is who decided that you were smart? Why do you think you can just get in a room and make decisions for a community of people." Fuller gets it. That without the input of parents, the knowledge of the teachers in the district and a consensus among all the parties, nothing will get done.
In the end, the money ran out, the politicians went on to other races and the kids were left with the same poorly maintained schools with teachers who were beaten down and demoralized. Politicians and philanthropists need to stop thinking that only they have the answers to complex problems. In this case they were so sure that once they stripped away the rights of tenure and seniority, the kids would magically flourish. They neglected the poverty, the problems with single parent families, transience, and a whole lot more. The only winners were the charter school movement who made money because they spent less on the kids. It's time we stop insisting on "transformational" quick fixes and this fixation with test scores and look at what works, what is really needed and listen to those who know the problems first hand.
Read
February 16, 2016Well done observation of 4 leadership styles, academic systems analysis, and insight into the political role our education is dependent on (politics not separate from private contribution... private politics is enmeshed with governmental politics, as this book makes clearer). It is clear that we do not have a profession geared towards ensuring our politicians are competent and showing effectiveness to same standards they expect to hold teachers to. There seems to be a halo put on successful business as a model for efficiency, but business don't have to sell responsibility, where as, teachers have to. Businesses and politicians are afforded the luxury of benefiting from short cuts, exploitation, propaganda, corruption and cheating, where as educators are expected to have the same expectations of progress but without the tools of business like taking short cuts, exploitation, propaganda, corruption, and cheating. It is evident that politicians, policy makers, and superintendents are not supermen or women but very human. I am left asking for a methodology for holding system administrators, politicians, and philanthropists to a standard that will show their progress and competence. Along with that I observed how those same system administrators, politicians, and philanthropists advocate for their own agendas by establishing rubrics that play to their strengths. When leadership recognizes that there is not an inexpensive, standardized, easy, or painless way to battle the complex human dilemma for desiring progress, extravagance, technology, or industry we will see the imbalance in judgment. Without leadership recognizing that our American success is coming along with human consequences that lead to imbalance in our social classes, gaps in safety, and insensible value for commerce, profits, and convenience we will continue to participate in impoverishing others. Until we invest more into teachers, while also trusting their ability to self motivate and correct, we will continue to over-value superficial distractions like social media applications. If businesses had to sell responsibility to kids, Wal-marts bottom line would look really different, and so would their shelves. If Mark Zuckerberg had to sell discipline to children, facebook would not be designed to keep attention on unproductive distractions. If business had to be transparent with how their money was spent we would probably have a newer understanding for their perceived success.
January 29, 2016
This excellent and exceedingly well written book has a lot to say about the divide rocking this country today, although its main focus is educational reform. It's easy to remember back to Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg/s pledge on the "Oprah" show that he was going to donate $100 million toward improving Newark's schools, a system that is clearly one of the worst in the nation, and wracked by poverty and violence.
Just what happened to that $100 million (and the matching $100 million raised by then-Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie) is the center of this story. The divide over the money fell into two camps: the outside educational reformers, who put up the money and talent to change the Newark system, and the local Newark community, which included local community activists, politicians, and teachers unions, who had a vested interest in keeping in place much of the educational infrastructure built over the years.
Not surprisingly, it was a war of wills, and the biggest loser of all were the children for whom the reform was intended. In fact, things were so bad in Newark that control of the school system and "the prize" (or $1 billion budget for education) were controlled by the Governor's Office, not the City of Newark itself. While this made some reforms easier to enforce, it also enraged the community, many of whose members lost desperately needed (and hard to replace) jobs in the school system as a result of the reforms.
This book is important because it speaks to just how difficult it is to change a system, even when everyone agrees that it needs to be changed. It's also a heartbreaking story because not only is it true but it represents how, even with the best of intentions, both sides failed the children of Newark. With a mix of hard statistics and personal stories, Author Dale Russakoff crafts an important story, one that every American should read, especially those who have children in the public school system. This is our country's future, and it doesn't appear promising.
Just what happened to that $100 million (and the matching $100 million raised by then-Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie) is the center of this story. The divide over the money fell into two camps: the outside educational reformers, who put up the money and talent to change the Newark system, and the local Newark community, which included local community activists, politicians, and teachers unions, who had a vested interest in keeping in place much of the educational infrastructure built over the years.
Not surprisingly, it was a war of wills, and the biggest loser of all were the children for whom the reform was intended. In fact, things were so bad in Newark that control of the school system and "the prize" (or $1 billion budget for education) were controlled by the Governor's Office, not the City of Newark itself. While this made some reforms easier to enforce, it also enraged the community, many of whose members lost desperately needed (and hard to replace) jobs in the school system as a result of the reforms.
This book is important because it speaks to just how difficult it is to change a system, even when everyone agrees that it needs to be changed. It's also a heartbreaking story because not only is it true but it represents how, even with the best of intentions, both sides failed the children of Newark. With a mix of hard statistics and personal stories, Author Dale Russakoff crafts an important story, one that every American should read, especially those who have children in the public school system. This is our country's future, and it doesn't appear promising.
July 30, 2016
This is a fascinating case study of educational reform and how it failed in Newark, NJ. The schools were run by the state, Corey Booker was mayor of the city, and Mark Zukerberg gave the schools a huge donation. Dal Russakoff begins the story at this point in 2009 and looks at how their top down approach failed this district and failed to turn so little around in the district. She tells the story in a very even-handed way.
I was impressed by how well she brings out how so many politicians and philanthropists like Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg and others try to reform school systems without including teachers, parents and students in the process. This book clearly shows how using this approach is a recipe for disaster. She brings out well the use of charter schools as a weapon and the under-funding of traditional public schools.
What I was disappointed in was that the title gets you to think that this is not a case study of one American district but of all of American schools. There are many urban school districts that are doing okay, but they are not brought out as positive examples to what was happening in Newark. As a teacher educator, I was disappointed that the teacher she mainly highlights in her book, tended to be those from the Teach for America (TFA) program and not those who graduated from traditional teacher education programs. We are not given a sense of how these teachers are doing.
There is much in this book that gets you to ponder current issues in American education. She brings out these issues well, but people need to realize that the book is primarily about one American school district that was failing before the reforms began and was not any better off after the reforms were implemented. Many school districts do work just fine. This is an example of one that did not. It does not describe "America's Schools" as the title suggests. It describes the experiences of the Newark's schools over a five year time span. She tells this story well.
I was impressed by how well she brings out how so many politicians and philanthropists like Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg and others try to reform school systems without including teachers, parents and students in the process. This book clearly shows how using this approach is a recipe for disaster. She brings out well the use of charter schools as a weapon and the under-funding of traditional public schools.
What I was disappointed in was that the title gets you to think that this is not a case study of one American district but of all of American schools. There are many urban school districts that are doing okay, but they are not brought out as positive examples to what was happening in Newark. As a teacher educator, I was disappointed that the teacher she mainly highlights in her book, tended to be those from the Teach for America (TFA) program and not those who graduated from traditional teacher education programs. We are not given a sense of how these teachers are doing.
There is much in this book that gets you to ponder current issues in American education. She brings out these issues well, but people need to realize that the book is primarily about one American school district that was failing before the reforms began and was not any better off after the reforms were implemented. Many school districts do work just fine. This is an example of one that did not. It does not describe "America's Schools" as the title suggests. It describes the experiences of the Newark's schools over a five year time span. She tells this story well.
November 27, 2015
I appreciate that this book was even handed--it pointed out the merits and flaws of both the Newark public school system and the charter school movement. The takeaway for me was that manpower and the ability to drop dead weight (crappy teachers) is the key to empowering disadvantaged students. I know how the sausage is made and that charter schools often achieve success by cherry picking the best (and avoiding the lowest functioning students, or the ones who really, really need TLC), working teachers until they quit after a few years, and relying in part on private funds and grants. Not all charters are good, but the ones that are seem to be able to give children more comprehensive care that goes past their academic needs and is better equipped to handle the social/familial/economic issues that negatively impact a child with promise.
The heroes in this book are the teachers doing the right thing, the ones who take and apply constructive criticism to improve as educators and improve their effectiveness in the classroom. Of course, the politicians come across as selfish, smarmy, and disinterested in making a true and everlasting positive impact upon Newark's children. The union, like many, winds up looking foolish--the Newark budget is bloated by teachers who have been continually ruled ineffective at best who remain on the payroll. Of course, this doesn't help children. But it does get people elected and paid for being useless.
The heroes in this book are the teachers doing the right thing, the ones who take and apply constructive criticism to improve as educators and improve their effectiveness in the classroom. Of course, the politicians come across as selfish, smarmy, and disinterested in making a true and everlasting positive impact upon Newark's children. The union, like many, winds up looking foolish--the Newark budget is bloated by teachers who have been continually ruled ineffective at best who remain on the payroll. Of course, this doesn't help children. But it does get people elected and paid for being useless.
September 17, 2015
This book is an important book about the intractable challenges of education reform in America's poorest cities and the inadequacies of structural solutions as a silver bullet fix. It is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and unwavering certainty. Russakoff follows Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million challenge gift to Newark Public Schools and the collision that Zuckerberg, Cory Booker, Chris Christie, Superintendent Cami Anderson and other leaders had with Newark families when they bulldozed community priorities to drive their reform agenda. It should be required reading for any would-be reformer as well as any grantmaker, for the ways it illustrates that good intentions and seemingly airtight strategies are not enough -- that leaders must find ways to engage the communities they hope to reform rather than impose an external agenda. Russakoff lifts up Newark's troubled history and the complexities of its community dynamics and looks closely at how racial tensions and misunderstandings further derailed the efforts. She weaves throughout the heartwarming - and often heartbreaking - stories of individual students, teachers, and principals struggling mightily to help children learn. Russakoff takes an even-handed approach to examining the tensions and tradeoffs around the role of charter schools and avoids easy judgments on their merits and demerits.
December 26, 2015
An intriguing read that looks at education reform in Newark, New Jersey, where big donors, rock star politicians, teachers' unions, and the school choice movement all vied for control. The Prize was well researched and very readable. It did get occasionally confusing when listing names of people (principles, teachers, etc.) but usually I understood if I skimmed back.
The story of Newark, NJ is both unsettling and exciting. People tried to do something and they poured in money and worked hard for reforms. A lot of good things happened, but a lot got buried in bureaucracy, contracts, and questionable ethical behavior. It makes for an intriguing case study.
This book reminded me of Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge. While there are similarities in the battles being fought, at the root of the issue was the problem of uninvolved or uninformed constituents. They didn't understand or weren't being told the big picture and because of that, they were open to different messaging. Whereas Wisconsin pushed through and has seen some amazing reforms, New Jersey's students still have an uphill battle.
The story of Newark, NJ is both unsettling and exciting. People tried to do something and they poured in money and worked hard for reforms. A lot of good things happened, but a lot got buried in bureaucracy, contracts, and questionable ethical behavior. It makes for an intriguing case study.
This book reminded me of Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge. While there are similarities in the battles being fought, at the root of the issue was the problem of uninvolved or uninformed constituents. They didn't understand or weren't being told the big picture and because of that, they were open to different messaging. Whereas Wisconsin pushed through and has seen some amazing reforms, New Jersey's students still have an uphill battle.
September 7, 2015
They were going to turn Newark's failing schools around. They were going to save Newark's school children. In the process, they were going to boost their own careers; they'd be looked upon as saviors. But Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million dollars was not enough. Promotion by Chris Christie and Newark's star mayor, Cory Booker, was not enough. Even the tough and intelligent new superintendent, Cami Anderson could not do it. Little thought was given to involving the parents and communities directly involved. Not enough attention was paid to the culture of poverty and violence that left many students traumatized,which made academic progress difficult without extra support. Lots of money was given to high-priced consultants, while janitors, lunch ladies, and aides were laid off. Despite the work of some heroic teachers, and the progress that some individual children made, the academic performance of Newark students as a whole--went down. This well-written book is a cautionary tale on the difficulties of educational reform, especially when it is managed in a top-down style, ignoring the voices of the parents, teachers and students who are most affected.
October 30, 2015
I’m very glad I read this book. It gave me a lot to think about. It helped me see what is happening in education reform efforts around the country (and thus Indianapolis, in context). In telling the story of what happened with a $100 million dollar gift from Mark Zuckerberg to Newark, New Jersey’s school systems you are challenged by several good questions. Does working on school systems solve the problems of poverty? (I know this is a biased way to present the question…still) It seems to me that working from the ground up is at least worth a shot. And as far as I know isn’t happening anywhere. You can see all the well intentioned people and players in this intense game of dollars, young lives, their families and professional reformers. This is a good book to think on all of these issues. I bought the book this fall, new from Amazon.
June 19, 2017
It's not easy to write a book about education reform that feels informed, balanced, and nuanced. It is a vitriolic and complicated space, after all (I know...I work for an education non-profit). But Russakoff manages to discuss education policy through Newark's STORY. The reader gets every perspective imaginable. All those complex characters - and moments - get portrayed with empathy. You don't just see where Zuckerberg's infamous $100 million gift went, you see the kids, parents, and classrooms affected. Nobody is "right" or "wrong" here, which makes true systemic change fairly elusive. Now, are those stories sensationalized sometimes? Almost certainly. And yet optimism breaks through repeatedly in this book, whenever a student gets the learning and support they deserve. Leave your assumptions behind, and I guarantee this story will challenge you...in a good way.
May 17, 2016
I'd heard bits and pieces of this story, but as a proponent of education reform, I was interested in learning more. This is an engrossing, informative read about the challenges inherent to reforming large, entrenched, under-performing school districts. I appreciated the way Dale juxtaposed tales of political posturing with accounts of those most effected by the decisions being made, the students. At the end of the day, this isn't about politics, charters vs. districts, unions, etc.--it's about doing what's best for our most vulnerable students, and too often that seems to get lost in the shuffle. This book also help reinforce for me how important it is to rally community support around reform efforts; overall, great read.
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