AT&T awarded $12.5 million to 30 youth organizations across the country to help to strengthen and expand their programs. According to a recent report titled The Mentoring Effect: Young People’s Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring, students with mentors are more likely to enroll in and graduate from college than those without mentors (76 percent vs. 56 percent). Many of the recipients focus on college or career readiness, and/or provide mentoring or peer-to-peer supports to equip students who are at risk of dropping out of high school.
The organizations that serve 28,000 high school students across the country help students graduate from high school, prepare for college and a career.
“These programs are the best of the best in the country,” said Charlene Lake, chief sustainability officer, AT&T. “They have demonstrated a proven ability to prepare students for future success, and we’re delighted to help them scale.”
The contributions are part of AT&T Aspire, the company’s $350 million signature education initiative. Through a competitive process, 30 schools, school districts and nonprofits were selected from more than 1,100 applicants nationwide.
Each of the winning programs delivered a quantitative impact, and feature proven methods of helping students succeed in academics and careers, such as providing integrated services, mentoring or focusing on college or career preparation. The organizations will use the funds to enhance programs and serve additional students.
In 2012, AT&T Aspire committed $10 million to 47 schools and nonprofits to increase graduation and attendance rates and reduce behavioral and disciplinary problems. Preliminary results from a third party evaluation of the 2012 recipients show that 9th, 10th and 11th grade students who participated in these programs were significantly more likely to end up on track to graduate than a similarly situated peer group.
The 30 Awardees:
Academy for Urban School Leadership (Ill.)
ASPIRA Association, Inc. (Fla., N.Y., N.J., and Puerto Rico)
Boys & Girls Club of Collier County, Inc. (Fla.)
California State University East Bay Foundation (Calif.)
Center for Fathers and Families (Calif.)
Center for Supportive Schools (Md. and N.Y.)
ChildNet, Inc. (Fla.)
College Possible (Minn., Ore., Pa., and Wis.)
Communities In Schools Delaware, Inc. (Del.)
Communities In Schools New Orleans, Inc. (La.)
Communities In Schools of Catoosa County (Ga.)
Communities In Schools of East Chicago (Ind.)
Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo (Mich.)
Communities In Schools of San Antonio (Texas)
Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas (Texas)
Communities In Schools of Washington State (Wash.)
D.C. Promise Neighborhood Initiative (Washington)
GPS Education Partners (Wisc.)
Henderson State University Foundation (Ark.)
Interfaith Community Services, Inc. (Calif.)
Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, Inc. (Maine
LSU Foundation (La.)
National Academy Foundation (Ala., Fla., Texas, and Okla.)
Northwest Alliance for College Access (Wash.)
Project GRAD Houston (Texas) Proyecto Pastoral (Calif.)
Sampson County Schools (N.C.)
Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (N.Y.) UCAN (Ill.)
YMCA of Greater New York (N.Y.)
