Dive Brief:
- A new article in The Atlantic argues that by looking outside of education and parterning with private businesses, public schools are able to experiment and innovate "in ways that might have been difficult otherwise," nodding to the benefits of imperfect but helpful private philanthropy like that of Mark Zuckerberg.
- This collaborative approach is also good for businesses, since they have a stake in helping the communities they belong to provide good public education.
- Despite the positive possibilities, band-aid approaches don't help address the root causes of struggling students and schools, which include poverty and discrimination.
Dive Insight:
In Mark Zuckerberg's case, his sizeable donation to Newark, NJ, schools led to a lesson learned. It's important for business and donors alike to communicate well and fully understand the needs of the school systems they intend to partner with or help. Otherwise, progress may stumble or pause.
Schools like Cincinnati's Oyler School and therapeutic schools like California's Camino Nuevo take more holistic approaches, which consider and address the whole child and other life factors than can affect how children behave and learn in the classroom. Other new approaches happening in Minnesota and Rochester, NY, include community schools that offer healthcare and free meals to students who need them.
The common denominator between schools with a holistic bent, those supported by philanthropy, and those partnered with business is that in order to work, districts must have a firm grip on the needs of the community they serve.