http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903554904576461571362279948.html
responded to in an appropriate manner here (and probably elsewhere)
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2011/07/no-excuses-bill-gates-makes-excuses-for.html
"It's interesting how Gates seems to give every excuse in the book for why he "failed" to drastically improve academic achievement despite the time and money spent on his mission. ..."
In the interview, Gates says what cheers him up when he gets "depressed about giving money in this area":
On the fraught issue of school choice, his foundation has been a strong advocate of charter schools, and Mr. Gates is particularly fond of the KIPP charter network and its focus on serving inner-city neighborhoods. "Whenever you get depressed about giving money in this area," he volunteers, "you can spend a day in a KIPP school and know that they are spending less money than the dropout factory down the road."