TIME.com -- If the Facebook founder wants his gift to make a real impact, he’d be wise to study up on all the education grantmaking that precedes him. It offers some sobering cautions and some big lessons. Here are the five biggest.

TIME.com -- Fenty’s loss to City Council Chairman Vincent Gray leaves in doubt not only the status of Washington’s revolutionary school chancellor, Michelle Rhee, but the national momentum for her brand of ambitious -- and aggressive -- education reform.

Education Sector -- Policymakers are beginning to take note of the fiscal problems in teacher retirement systems. States have recently taken action by raising retirement ages, lowering benefit payments, and reducing cost-of-living adjustments. These are small steps toward shoring up the system to help ensure that it remains sustainable in the future.

American Educator -- Dan Willingham and Andrew J. Rotherham examine the challenges to implementing "21st Century Skills" in America's schools. Willingham and Rotherham look at the history of the idea, the research on how students learn, and the obstacles to effectively implementing the "21st Century Skills" approach in American schools.