Supporting Systemic District-Wide Reform to Increase College-Going Rates

 
Company/Organization:  General Electric
CEO/Board Chair: Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO GE Corporations; Bob Corcoran, President, GE Foundation
State:  Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio & Pennsylvania
Level of Involvement: District
Type of Initiative: Philanthropy
Target Education Priority: Preparing All Graduates for College and Careers & More Innovation Workers in the Pipeline

“The world becomes more competitive, every day. The need to strengthen education has never been more urgent, especially for disadvantaged and under-represented youth. The College Bound District Program is designed to help fill that need – using research to identify challenges, empower teachers, enrich curricula and elevate solutions.” Jeff Immelt, Chairman & CEO, GE Corporation


Overview
Since General Electric first launched the College Bound Program in 1989, GE has been partnering with communities across the country to ensure students are given the support, preparation and opportunities they need to enter and succeed in college. Initially, GE focused on individual high schools, targeting resources and supports to improve instruction, curriculum, professional development and overall school culture to increase college-going rates. Wanting to maximize its impact and scope, the GE Foundation rededicated its mission in the 1990s to focus on "proactive philanthropy that develops innovative, pace-setting programs that have an unlimited multiplier effect."

This philosophy of change is central to the recently developed $100 million College Bound District Program (CBDP), which takes a more holistic approach to improving individual students’ college readiness than the original College Bound Program. With targeted five-year grants to five school districts – Louisville, Kentucky, Stamford, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Ohio, Erie, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia – the College Bound District Program seeks to achieve systemic change to ensure sustainable improvement in students’ educational achievement and attainment.


Keys to Success
CBDP benefits from a framework that is both structured and flexible. While there are very specific and measurable targets and goals that districts are expected to meet, the grant program allows districts to design individualized policies and programs that meet their needs, with the ongoing support of GE. The overall strategy begins with collaboration between the superintendent, the board of education and teacher organizations. These stakeholders must agree to make the necessary changes in curriculum and educational practices to increase college-going rates, and to work with volunteers from the local GE facility on that process. Involving GE employees in the design of the program and as volunteers in the communities’ efforts to increase college attendance is also a requirement. Within that framework, the schools and districts are given full freedom to design the programs that make the most sense for their schools and their communities.

While the reform plans vary among the five districts, there is a common focus on math and science education and the use of technology in improving the delivery and assessment of classroom instruction. For example, the Jefferson County Public School District in Louisville, Kentucky (the first district site to receive a grant) is creating a new math and inquiry-based science curriculum based on World Class Standards, developed in collaboration with a group of national experts. Jefferson County is leveraging the GE grant to review existing curricula, adopt new materials and provide the necessary professional development to classroom teachers. Much of Jefferson County's work is focused on the middle grades to prepare students for rigorous math and science course-taking in high school.

Stamford Public School District is investing more heavily in teaching training – specifically in math and science instruction and the use of technology and data in improving classroom instruction – to ensure students reach a deeper understanding of math and science concepts. Stamford also has established a number of Committees, such as the Best Practice Task Force, the High School Reform Think Tank and the Community Business and University Partner Advisory, to engage all stakeholders in the strategic planning. Cincinnati will focus the grant money on raising math and science scores to close the achievement and attainment gaps for disadvantaged students, based on a strategic plan developed collaboratively by education, business and community leaders.

The GE College Bound District Program incorporates many of the philanthropy strategies recommended by Business Tools for Better Schools, including:

• Focus on groups of low-performing schools, entire school districts and state-level organizations as the unit of change, rather than individual schools
• Focus on results, not inputs: Help educators and nonprofit groups achieve improved student learning outcomes, rather than just execute nice programs
• Define what will be accomplished and how new resources will help
• Be persistent and stick with education grant-making for the long haul, as the most important problems in education are often the most intractable
• Send consistent messages to education grantees about priorities
• Rigorously evaluate education programs to ensure that there is continuous, targeted improvement that meets company objectives
• Be transparent: Share what you learn from charitable giving within your company and externally

 
Indicators of Success
In 2000, researchers at Brandeis University published a year-long evaluation of the original College Bound program to summarize the ten year track record of College Bound; review accomplishments, lessons learned, and remaining challenges; and to offer recommendations for the future. They found that participating schools – particularly those serving high proportions of low-income students – experienced higher college-going rates. Additionally, 76% of College Bound graduates attended college compared to 71% of all graduates nationally. The differences in college-going were particularly large for those whose parents had little or no college education.

The GE Foundation has commissioned the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the College Bound District Program and to document and disseminate the findings nationally. AIR will evaluate the impact of each of individual district’s programs and the impact of the program as a whole on students’ college-readiness.

Next Steps
GE issued the first grant to Jefferson County Public Schools in September 2005 and granted the fifth and final grant to the School District of the City of Erie in April 2007. Moving forward, GE will continue to encourage progress at the five district sites through external monitoring and evaluation, as well as hands-on participation and volunteerism at the local level. As all of the sites are working within a five-year period to achieve systemic change, GE will remain as an active partner in ensuring long-term and sustainable improvement.

Related Content

Web sites

• GE College Bound District Program
• Overview of College Bound District Program
• Cincinnati Public Schools & GE Foundation Joint Press Release, Oct 19, 2006.
• Jefferson County GE Math and Science Initiative website
• Stamford Public Schools – GE Partnership Overview
• Frequently Asked Questions: Stamford Public Schools and GE CBDP

Materials for the Public

• Kentucky Resolution recognizing the GE Foundation's investment

Evaluations

• “Expanding College Access, Strengthening Schools: Evaluation of the GE Fund College Bound Program,” Center for Human Resources, Heller Graduate School, Brandeis University. Prepared for the GE Foundation, Jan. 2000

Updated: May 2008