January, 2011 in Philanthropy magazine:
See PDF here.
Don Fisher’s investment in KIPP; John Walton and Ted Forstmann’s generous seeding of the Children’s Scholarship Fund; and the Gates Foundation’s support for development of “common core” academic standards for American schools. The first proved both that schools can succeed dramatically with disadvantaged students–and that such schools can be replicated. The second showed the appetite for, and success of, vouchers in meeting the educational needs of low-income youngsters. And the third is gradually moving the U.S. into the 21st century by establishing shared–and ambitious–academic expectations for schools across the land.
–Chester E. Finn Jr.
President and CEO, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation