Reform: Two Views Of Newark's Future

For a useful look at the long history of reform in Newark -- much of which was left out of the recent coverage surrounding the Zuckerberg donation -- check out Dana Goldstein's feature in The Nation (here).  For a look at how the new reformers are trying to do things differently (better) than in the past, check out this WSJ story from Barbara Martinez that was passed along by several readers including Whitney Tilson (here). What both make clear is that the $100M donation might make very little difference at all if it isn't used intelligently, and humbly, and that media coverage has been sorely lacking on this and several other fronts as it focuses on the gee whiz aspect of everything it touches.