Big time philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates have spent millions of dollars to improve American public education, but how much good have they done? American public schools have flat-lined for years. Yet, the Gates Foundation just gave $7.6 million to Education Pioneers, a nonprofit that works with organizations including Chicago Public Schools, KIPP DC, Los Angeles Unified School District and the U.S. Department of Education. The underlying question: What's it all for? Oh, we know what the foundations and nonprofits tout about improving our children's competitiveness in the global economy, and holding our teachers accountable for student achievement, but how does throwing millions in the direction of educational headhunters get the job done? The trend of late has been to take power away from teachers and school boards and outsource it to education nonprofits that don't have a local interest in the schools they're supposed to be helping. Recently, "Florida's...(Read Full Post)