Private School Demand Dips as New Yorkers Skip $30,000 Tuitions

Demand is dipping at New York's elite private elementary schools as the weak economy hits parents' ability to pay tuitions exceeding $30,000 a year. The number of children taking entrance exams for private schools this year dropped 4.4 percent to 4,259, continuing a slide that began in 2009, according to the organization that administers the tests. Public-school enrollment in New York City rose for the first time since 2002.

Full text article by Janet Frankston Lorin is available via Bloomberg, 2/26/10.

Ford Foundation Commits $100-Million to Change Public Education

The Ford Foundation has pledged $100-million over seven years to support efforts to improve American public education. The New York philanthropic fund said the money will go to “reformers whose visions of a just and fair public-schooling system can galvanize all the players — parents, students, teachers, and community leaders, as well as scholars and policy experts.”

Full text article by Ian Wilhelm is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 11/4/09.

Why she's giving away $50 million

Melanie Lundquist of Palos Verdes Estates is optimistic that writing a $5-million check every year for 10 years to help low-performing L.A. schools will result in wider reforms nationally.

Full-text article by Steve Lopez is available via The Los Angeles Times, 8.21.09.