Money, Momentum, and the Gates Foundation

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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has already been lauded for making notable strides in the field of international health. Hindered by domestic politics and entrenched policies, however, the foundation's transformative impact on U.S. schools has been much less impressive, according to Paul T. Hill.

In a recent Education Week Commentary, Mr. Hill, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, recommends that the foundation use a strategy of research and development, mirroring the one used for international health and other sectors, in the field of education. He writes that such a strategy, although slow, will be more effective than current efforts, which include giving money directly to school districts and funding charter schools.

What do you think should be the educational focus of a new and larger Gates Foundation? How can Warren Buffett's gift be used most effectively to improve the U.S. education system?