Headline, October24, 2013

''' REINVENTIN​G EDUCATION FOR

 BRIGHT - RICH KIDS '''

The first time he tried to create the  ''next generation of schools'' , back in the early 1990s, Chris Whittle's focus was on improving the education of the poorest pupils in America's worst performing schools.

Although in doing so the perennially bow-tied entrepreneur from Tennessee helped pioneer the charter-school movement, his Edison Project ultimately failed to thrive as a business. 

Now, with Benno Schmit and Alan Greenberg, he is trying to reinvent education for bright, rich kids.

So, in September last year, ''Avenues : The World School '', the first of a planned global network, welcomed 700 pupils into a lavishly converted warehouse next to Manhattan's popular High Line park. 

Their parents will typically pay just under $40,000 a year  -in line with New York's established top-tier private schools. Having been promised cutting-edge technology and everything else to match.

Getting this far has not been easy for Mr Whittle, who says he has had to become ''one third educator one third real-estate developer and one third investment banker.'' After conceiving the idea in 2007 of creating a chain of smaller schools in the world's leading cities.

The financial  crisis robbed him of funding, a business partner and the intended first Manhattan site. Eventually he raised the $75 million needed to get the first school up and running, found another site, and then toured the world to recruit staff and pupils.

 Many of the teaching staff have previously worked at other elite east-coast private schools, including Phillips, Exeter, Hotchkiss and  Dalton. Even more gratifying than the 2600 applications to attend Avenues were the 4900 applications it received to teach there, says Mr Whittle.

One of the main reasons why Mr Whittle sees a profitable opportunity for a new entrant is that global demand for the elite private education has soared in recent years while -not least because of the sort of problems he has encountered, above all in finding suitable sites,   -supply has remained fairly static.

He is now raising a larger fund to build the next few schools, which are expected to be in Beijing (2014), Sao Paulo (2015), and London (2016). He thinks there are 20 cities that could sustain an Avenue school.

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With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of Pakistan. See Ya All on the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

'''!!! Into Another World !!!'''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless