Program Is Part of $100 Million AT&T Aspire Initiative to Promote High School Success and Workforce Readiness
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today
announced it is awarding more than $730,000 in AT&T Foundation grants to eight
Los Angeles-area educational institutions to support high school retention
programs for at-risk students
The grants are part of the company's signature initiative, AT&T Aspire,
which was announced earlier this year to help address high school success and
workforce readiness. AT&T has committed $100 million in philanthropy through
2011 to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on high school
retention and better preparing students for college and the workforce.
As part of the Aspire initiative, the AT&T Foundation has committed
$29 million in High School success grants to more than 170 schools and
nonprofit organizations. Statewide, AT&T is awarding 35 grants totaling more
than $3.5 million.
America's Promise Alliance, the nation's largest multi-sector
collaborative dedicated to the well-being of children and youth, has noted
that nearly one-third of U.S. high school students drop out before graduating
-- with about 7,000 students dropping out every school day, or one every
26 seconds.
'High school dropout rates are a serious issue affecting more than
1 million students in this country each year,' said Denita Willoughby, vice
president, AT&T External Affairs - Los Angeles. 'We're committed to supporting
the great work our educators are already doing in our local communities to
help kids succeed by preparing them for a global economy. We are lending a
hand to build and expand these programs, and we are gratified by the response
to the program and look forward to working with these groups to build a
brighter future for our youth.'
Local recipients of these grants are:
Los Angeles Urban League -- $100,000 to support the Algebra 1 Summer
Institute for at-risk 9th graders and a rigorous Mathematical Thinking
professional development program for 9th grade Algebra I teachers at Crenshaw
High School within Los Angeles Unified School District.
UNITE-LA, Inc. -- $215,000 over 3 years to support Los Angeles Unified
School District's College and Career Success Schools that are designed to
provide sustained support to at-risk 9th and 10th grade students.
Alameda Unified School District -- $85,000 to support Island High School
serving credit deficient students who have not been successful in a
traditional high school.
Los Angeles City College Foundation -- $50,000 to support 30 at-risk 9th
and 10th graders from Los Angeles Unified School District throughout the
school year covering core subjects and computer skills, and to support a six
week 9th grade summer bridge program that reinforces skills critical when
transitioning in high school.
Los Angeles Unified School District -- $85,000 to support Belmont High
School's Juvenile Intervention and Prevention program, which targets at-risk
9th and 10th grade students, and is designed to improve academic skills,
reduce truancy, build strong family systems, and develop civic responsibility.
Pasadena Educational Foundation -- $90,000 to support expansion of the
Pasadena Unified School District's Secondary Literacy Initiative, targeting
at-risk 9th and 10th graders, by providing intensive supplementary instruction
for students more than two years below grade level in reading.
University of Southern California -- $70,000 to provide a rigorous course
of study, including Saturday academies for 9th and 10th grade at-risk
students, to ensure they graduate with the skills and competencies necessary
to progress through high school and college.
Hispanic College Fund -- $35,000 to support planning efforts to expand the
Fund's Hispanic Youth Symposium and associated year-round programming
targeting Hispanic 9th graders at two underserved Los Angeles Unified School
District high schools.
'With the help of AT&T's Aspire grant, Local District 4's Juvenile
Intervention and Prevention Program (JIPP) will continue to target at-risk
students in a comprehensive and collaborative systemic whole child approach,'
said Stephen J. Koffman, LCSW, Assistant Principal, LAUSD. 'JIPP instills a
positive change in the students' behaviors, academic performance, family
interaction and coping skills enabling them to experience success and stay on
track to graduate from high school, stay out of gangs and become productive
members of society.'
'Contributions such as AT&T's grant assist in elevating the quality of
education that children receive, and as a direct result, schools are making
progress,' said David Rattray, Vice President of Education and Workforce
Development and UNITE-LA President. 'While we'd like to see a high level of
education at every institution within the Los Angeles Unified School District,
AT&T's commitment and generosity helps bring us one step closer.'
As one of the largest-ever corporate commitments to high school retention
and workforce readiness, the $100 million AT&T Aspire program will support
organizations with strong track records that promote educational success, from
the classroom to the workplace. The recipient programs of this year's High
School Success grants provide a range of support for students, including
academic intervention, mentoring and tutoring services.
In addition to the retention program grants, AT&T Aspire will award
funding in three other key areas:
-- A student job shadowing initiative involving 400,000 AT&T employee
hours that will give 100,000 students a firsthand look at the skills they will
need to succeed in the 21st century workforce.
-- The underwriting of national research that will explore the
practitioner perspective (teachers, principals, superintendents, school
counselors and school board members) on the high school dropout issue.
-- Support for 100 state and community dropout prevention summits,
announced earlier this year by America's Promise Alliance.
For more information about the AT&T Aspire initiative, please visit
http://www.att.com/education-news.
About Philanthropy at AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is committed to advancing education, strengthening
communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and
partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities;
promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In
2007, AT&T contributed more than $164 million through corporate-, employee-
and AT&T Foundation-giving programs. AT&T and the AT&T Foundation, the
corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T, combine more than $1.9 billion of
historic charitable commitment to communities across the country.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its
subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of
AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings
are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and
the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services.
In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and
advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM
organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as
communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy,
AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked
No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company
list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list.
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.
