Mark Zuckerberg is starting an education foundation. The first gift, a breathtaking $100 million, is going to improve Newark, New Jersey's perennially crappy public schools.

It's hard to applaud this move loudly enough.

Yes, Mark's net worth was just estimated at $7 billion. But that's mostly private paper wealth. And the man is only 25 years old.

(And he's not even from New Jersey).

And, sure, the move is probably timed to counteract the repellant image of Mark in the fictional Facebook movie. But whatever. It's a huge gift, one he didn't have to make.

Well done, Mark!

Here's hoping the state doesn't just piss your money away.

Richard Perez-Pena at the New York Times broke the news and has more >