The Silicon Valley Billionaires Remaking America’s Schools

Captains of American industry have long used their private wealth to remake public education, with lasting and not always beneficial results.

What is different today is that some technology giants have begun pitching their ideas directly to students, teachers and parents — using social media to rally people behind their ideas. Some companies also cultivate teachers to spread the word about their products.

Such strategies help companies and philanthropists alike influence public schools far more quickly than in the past, by creating legions of supporters who can sway legislators and education officials.

Tucked away in this article is a basic and powerful definition of what an education program needs to accomplish to be truly successful, regardless of whether it is for at will employees or 8th graders.

[T]o make students discover for themselves that they cannot succeed on applied projects without learning the fundamentals.