Any Bets On Whether or Not This Zillionaire's Money Is Going To "Fix" Education?

How much Microsoft money does it take before these so-called geniuses quit thinking they can "fix" this?

Don't look now, but another tech billionaire is using his vast fortune to make a mark on K-12 education.

The Ballmer Group, created by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, has quietly committed more than a quarter-billion dollars to K-12-related organizations and projects over the last two years, according to an Education Week analysis.

The flow of money includes more than $100 million granted to organizations working to improve opportunities for children and families in poverty, as well as a $59 million investment in a for-profit software company seeking to ease the flow of student data between K-12 school districts and nonprofits.

"These grants place the Ballmer Group among the larger funders in K-12 education," said Sarah Reckhow, an assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University who tracks philanthropic giving in education.

They also reflect an approach to K-12 education that diverges in significant ways from those of other high-profile education funders from the technology sector, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Yes, the Ballmers have given more than $10 million to Teach For America, plus millions more to a handful of charter school networks. They are also big believers in the power of data and technology. And like Zuckerberg, the couple has structured their philanthropic organization as a limited liability corporation, rather than a traditional foundation. That means they can use the Ballmer Group to pursue a mix of charitable donations, for-profit investments, and political activity, all with minimal transparency requirements.

But to date, at least, the couple has not sought to fundamentally disrupt public education. They haven't thrown their considerable fortune behind efforts to spread the adoption of personalized learning in K-12. And they haven't focused on issues like academic standards and curricula.

Instead, the Ballmer Group's known activity to date primarily reflects a "wraparound approach" to education, said Reckhow. It emphasizes the community context in which children grow up, and it relies heavily on people with extensive experience in the social-services field and deep roots in the communities where grants are being awarded.

Sounds good.  Talk to me when there's objective, replicable data showing statistically significant improvement.