Facebook CEO’s focusing philanthropic efforts on unlocking human potential through personalized learning

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, and his wife Priscilla Chan are well known for their philanthropic efforts, and now, they’re turning their attention to personalized learning. In a Facebook post Zuckerberg says that the pair’s charitable efforts will focus on “unlocking human potential,” which they hope to accomplish by supporting schools and teachers that implement the strategies that put students at the center of their learning:

Our children and the whole next generation have the potential to live much better lives than we do today — as long as we make more long term investments in technology and progress as a society… Our major focus in education is personalized learning. That means supporting the development of schools, teachers and technology. When students can learn at their own pace in a way that’s personalized to their learning style, the results are amazing.

These are long term goals for our generation, but if we start now then over the course of our children’s lives I believe we can achieve them.

Their commitment to personalized learning is another step in the right direction, drawing attention to the important work schools are doing to help their students learn in ways that are meaningful and effective. When the learning environment is shaped around students’ individual needs and interests rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, amazing things happen: they are more engaged and excited about learning, and they are more prepared for today’s economy with skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and critical thinking.

New Hampshire is one of the country’s leaders in innovative, student-centered learning approaches with programs like PACE, and in schools that have transformed their entire learning environments, like Pittsfield Middle High School (watch a video about Pittsfield’s learning model here).

Zuckerberg and Chan want to see all children succeed, and their philanthropic efforts will help schools give children the tools to do just that. Read the full post below.