Three Foundations Making an Impact

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set an ambitious goal for their work and investments: "to help ensure that 80 percent of high school students graduate college-ready, with a focus on low-income and minority young people reaching this target." Their plan is to continue investing in the following areas:


1. Focus on success at a higher level
2. Empower excellent teachers
3. Support and engage students (through innovation)

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation awards to $2 million Broad Prize every year to honor urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students, because, while they agree that no American student should be left out, written off or ignored, far too many of our poorest and minority students today still lack adequate resources to learn."

The Walton Family Foundation supports K-12 educational reform because, "in too many communities, educational options are limited and often dismal.The communities with the fewest educational options also tend to be places where students encounter the lowest performing schools. A majority of children in these neighborhoods drop out of school and suffer the lifelong consequences of missed educational opportunities. It is in these communities where the Foundation concentrates its work."