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Comment by peter303 | Hacker News Reader

Mark Zuckerberg generously gave 100M to improve the education system of Camden New Jersey. At the time the mayor was Stanford grad Cory Booker, now Senator, and future Presidential material. Camden was and still is a minority shithole of New Jersey. Neither Mark's generous gift nor Cory's public service had a lasting effect. Deeper structural problems. I do not know the answer.

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Except the gift was nothing but funding the charter school grift (don't get me wrong, charter schools could work, and in some cases do work, but for the large part, in the US, the charter school movement has pretty much entirely been hijacked by union busters and people who want to profit off the privatization of education).

Exactly. There are plenty of laboratory schools attached to universities, where teaching research is done under the eyes of the public. Those are as a rule doing well but Zuckerberg chose to boost unaccountable charter schools. Glad to see that it went as one would have predicted it to go.

It was Newark, and the half donation went to Charter Schools and consultants. [1]

1. http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerbergs-failed-100-m...

"Minority shithole" is a bit harsh... I spend a lot of time in Newark and it is a much better place than it was twenty years ago.

The Ironbound is getting nicer every year. Yesterday I was walking home from the train and there were young people everywhere. Definitely not what I am used to around here.

Granted, the Ironbound could be a totally different city than the rest of Newark.

It was actually Newark...

Zuckerberg gave to Newark, not Camden, but you're right in that the donation didn't have the intended effects.

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