Thinking globally and acting locally: Zuckerberg and Chan donate to improve local education, despite global initiative

Though the Palo Alto residents recently received recognition for their announced intention to donate $3 billion to the fight toward eradicating diseases, a passion for improving the quality of life locally carries on as well, said Cristina Huezo, a spokeswoman for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

“The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is really committed to working closely to improve education, and what that means for us is to empower students in local schools and address needs that we have identified as areas we can help,” she said.

In pursuit of that goal, the philanthropic organization donated more than 400 laptops to students from underprivileged communities in the Redwood City Elementary School District.

The devices are issued at the beginning of the school year and are available to students both for learning in the classroom as well as at home. The initiative also sponsors coaches to maximize the proficiency of teachers, students and families when using the computers.

Huezo said the idea of donating the computers came in the wake of meeting with Redwood City school officials who identified equitable access to technology among district students as one of the largest local education hurdles to overcome.

“We led with listening to the community and district leaders,” Huezo said. “We met with the superintendent and asked what are priorities of the district and how are you going to meet the needs of the highest risk students and how can we help you with that?”

Superintendent John Baker expressed his appreciation for the initiative’s charitable efforts in an email.

“We are grateful to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for a grant that will help us close the digital divide,” he said. “We know many of our students do not have as much access to technology as others.”

Representatives from the initiative took a similar approach of gathering perspective from Sequoia Union High School District officials regarding best ways to help Redwood City teens, but arrived at a different fashion of offering assistance.

High school district officials recommended the charity fund full-time positions for advisors who are focused solely on offering support to 60 incoming students who run the highest risk of dropping out.

The advisors share with students success strategies for school achievement and also help them stay engaged. Huezo said she has met with some of the students and their advisors and can sense the value of the relationship.

“I have heard from the students directly they felt they could trust their advocate with any issues they were having,” she said. “It was really heartwarming to hear how the students are thriving as a result of the grant.”

Beyond the deeply involved work collaborating with local education experts, the initiative has also granted $100 to each teacher in the Redwood City Elementary School District and the Ravenswood City Elementary School District in East Palo Alto to buy supplies. Principals also receive $7,500 to pay toward student support services, professional development, community engagement and other campus enrichment efforts.

The most recent donation to Redwood City Elementary School District marks the third year the initiative has offered some kind of educational support, indicating an ongoing commitment to enriching the local school system, Huezo said.

The initiative will also maintain a relationship with recipient school districts in an effort to track the success of the variety of programs the grant money has funded, she said.

“We are not going anywhere,” Huezo said.

As Chan and Zuckerberg have expressed a desire to donate 99 percent of their personal wealth over their lifetimes, Huezo said the work they do in the future to fund education support programs will be informed by their recent local efforts.

“This is Mark and Priscilla’s backyard, and the work they do elsewhere will be grounded in what we learn from our work here,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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