In Newark school reform efforts, gains come at a price
Five years ago, Gov. Chris Christie, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and former Mayor Cory Booker launched an ambitious plan to remake Newark’s schools by creating a network of charter schools that would operate almost like a business -- a model they hoped could be adopted nationally. William Brangham speaks to Dale Russakoff about her new book, “The Prize,” which chronicles the reform efforts.
TRANSCRIPT
JUDY WOODRUFF: It was meant to be a game-changer for public education in Newark, New Jersey, a plan launched five years ago that might show the entire country how to remake failing urban schools.
Reporter Dale Russakoff chronicled what became of those efforts in her new book, “The Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools?”
William Brangham recently spoke with her for our NewsHour Bookshelf.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It started with an unlikely trio, Newark’s Democratic Mayor Cory Booker, the state’s Republican Governor Chris Christie, and Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who offered a whopping $100 million grant. They made the announcement on “Oprah.”
The money was to be used to help implement many oft school reform efforts being tried out nationwide, boost pay for the best teachers, open more charter schools and close the failing ones. And there have been successes. Last year, 20 percent of Newark’s black students were enrolled in — quote — “above-average schools.” That’s up from 12 percent in 2010, but those gains came at a price. The community remains distrustful of the reforms and the exodus to charter schools has fueled a budget crisis.
In her new book, “The Prize: Who’s in Charge of America’s Schools?” former Washington Post reporter Dale Russakoff details where reformers got it right and where things went wrong.
I talked with her recently about how Newark’s schools and students are doing five years on.
Dale Russakoff, thanks for joining us.
DALE RUSSAKOFF, Author, “The Prize”: Thanks for having me.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In your book, you write that the trio behind this initial effort, Cory Booker, Chris Christie, and Mark Zuckerberg, you write about them this way — quote — “Their stated goal was not to repair education in Newark, but to develop a model for saving it in all of urban America and to do it in five years.”
That is a breathtakingly ambitious goal. What was their plan?
DALE RUSSAKOFF: Well, actually, I think they wanted, first of all, to repair education in Newark first, but they saw that they could create some kind of a model that could then be scaled up almost like a start-up business, which is the way Zuckerberg would be comfortable thinking about it at that time.
But what they thought they would do was bring in charter schools and dramatically expand the existing footprint of the charter schools, and then also turn the school district into their version of a high-performing business, with accountability all through the system for the teachers and the principals and using the student performance as the metric that everyone had to focus on.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, it has been now five years, their stated time frame. How is it going in Newark? How are the kids doing?
DALE RUSSAKOFF: Well, the charter schools in Newark have doubled in — the enrollment has doubled, and 40 percent of children in Newark now go to charter schools, and almost 50 percent of African-American children go to charter schools.
There has been a big exodus, particularly in the most high-poverty districts, which also are the ones with the most — the highest proportion of African-American kids. Those In Newark school reform efforts, gains come at a price:
