|  |
|
|
|
Ambition Gap: The Chasm Between Students and their Futures
Every student should have the opportunity to succeed in high school, graduating prepared for college and work. Yet, many students do not earn a high school diploma, do not graduate with the skills they need, or do not have a way to pay for their higher education. |
|
Silent Epidemic
 |
Does Your High School Measure Up?
Check out School Matters rating system from Standard and Poor's.
 |
|
Each year, almost one-third of all public high school students fail to graduate. Read the full report by Civic Enterprises for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, right. Click here to learn more about the Foundation's efforts to confront this issue. |
Empty Promises: The myth of college access
It is reported that between 2001 and 2010, more than 4.4 million Americans will be unable to afford a four-year college. Click here for the full report. | | |
|
What You Can Do to Bridge the Ambition Gap
The Foundation knows that education is the most direct route to a successful life. Our future depends on expecting more from students, their teachers, parents, and our schools. We believe this challenge belongs to all of us, and Foundation initiatives and grants are designed to strengthen preschools through graduate schools in our area.
To raise awareness of the need to reengineer education, in the winter of 2006, the Foundation brought Thomas Friedman to address the community on preparing the next generation for global competition. The New York Times foreign affairs columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and best-selling author of “The World Is Flat” spoke to educators, business owners, and community leaders. He remarked that everyone must ask whether our schools are preparing students to compete in a global economy as we are now facing unprecedented competition, and our international rankings have fallen precipitously. The speech was broadcast on our local PBS affiliate and Sarasota’s Education Channel. In addition, a special insert was circulated in our local papers throughout the county further raising awareness of the challenges and choices facing our community in public education.
We also invite you to read the Silent Epidemic and check out Empty Promises: The Myth of College Access in America to learn more about the status of secondary and higher education. You can share this information with your friends and colleagues by clicking the e-mail option at the top of each of our Web pages. And if you really want to make a difference, we invite you to give online to the initiative(s) of your choice (we'll let you know about the difference your donation is making by sending you an e-mail report). |
|
|
|
|
|
