A Message from Tom Vander Ark
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There are always those teachers who, at least from a student's perspective, unconscionably dole out assignments over the summer break. Whether these handouts are summer reading lists or exercise packets the pedagogy is clear - to reinforce the lessons of the past and prepare for the school year ahead.

At a recent conference, I shared with participants some "summer math" of my own - numbers to review the high school work underway and guide us in our quest to increase graduation and college-readiness rates for all students in the years to come.

2,000 and 11,300

According to Robert Balfanz and Nettie Legters of the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University, there are 2,000 high schools that lose more than 40% of their students before graduation day, dropout factories that need dramatic improvement or should be closed and replaced. Additional support is required at more than 11,300 schools designated "in need of improvement" by the No Child Left Behind Act.

1,600, 200 and 75x2

Understanding the enormity of this challenge, the foundation has supported more than 1,600 high schools to date, employing a diverse set of approaches across a wide range of communities. In New York City, the largest school district in the nation, 200 new schools have been planned or opened since 2002, replacing many of the lowest performing high schools in the city. North Carolina expects to open 75 "Learn and Earn" early college high schools and 75 redesigned high schools state-wide by 2008.

33

Since 2005, 33 governors have made college-ready commitments through the National Governors Association's Honor States Grant Program and/or Achieve, Inc.'s American Diploma Project. This state policy commitment to raise graduation requirements and align them with post-secondary expectations is a critical complement to school and district redesign work.

1.4% and 2.2%

Education reform efforts are making a difference. Graduation rates in the U.S. have improved at an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.4% since 2000, according to the Cumulative Promotion Index. College-readiness rates also have increased by an average CAGR of 2.2% since 1993, peaking at 34% in 2002, the most recent update available.

12,500

Beyond the issue of college-readiness is college access. The level of educational attainment with the greatest impact on a person's quality of life is a college degree, and yet only 17 percent of African Americans and 11 percent of Hispanics 25-29 years-old reach this goal. Among low-income students, only one in ten earns a bachelor's degree.

Through the Gates Millennium Scholars Program and the Washington State Achievers Scholarship Program, 12,500 scholarships have been awarded to offset these inequities in college access and support low-income and minority students to pursue their college degrees.

31,000,000,000

Warren E. Buffett's $31 billion gift to the foundation in June was a generous and humbling act with far reaching implications. By 2009, the foundation will double its annual payout, an increase in spending that includes support for a broader reaching U.S. Programs division. Though this will not necessarily mean an increased in K-12 funding, Education will remain an integral part of the domestic agenda.

We will continue to build our education programs as we have in the past, strengthening our relationships with key partners - state and district officials, non-profit organizations, private sector leaders and other foundations - to maximize our collective investments and raise graduation and college-readiness rates across the country.



Snapshot: District Progress in New York City
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Our partner organizations are offering promising solutions by emphasizing the new 3 Rs - rigor, relevance, and relationships - in their schools. And although there remains a need for patience, particularly where school reform is new, the demand for results is understandable.

In New York City, 15 new small schools (14 foundation-supported) that opened four years ago posted an average graduation rate of 73% this spring exceeding the 58.2% district-wide rate for 2005. Even more impressively, the 73% graduation rate was dramatically higher than the graduation rates recorded by the large schools they replaced - rates that ranged from 31 to 51%.

At Bronx Aerospace Academy, a rigorous aviation- and aerospace-themed college-preparatory high school, 93% of students graduated on-time this year. At Marble Hill High School in the Bronx, which emphasizes international studies, nearly nine out of ten students graduated on-time.

While graduation rates are a key indicator of success, there are other signs of progress in NYC:

* In 2004-2005, the average attendance rate at new small schools was 89% compared to 81% city-wide;
* Students in these new schools were promoted from ninth to tenth grade at a rate of 87%, while the overall promotion rate for NYC was 72%;
* Based on credit accumulation, 80% of students who originally enrolled in new small high schools as ninth-graders were categorized as "on track" for graduation after one year, 68% were on-track after two years, and 77% were on-track after three years;
* New schools are successfully building school communities where students develop strong relationships with teachers, administrators, and other mentors.



Summary Thoughts
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We are energized by the work of so many striving to move America forward into a new era of education. The challenge to change schools and systems of schools is a daunting one, and yet there seems to be a growing hope and optimism heading into this back-to-school season.

But how many 9th graders entering our high schools will have the benefit of a high quality high school education? How many will have the support needed to complete high school in four years and succeed in college?

In addition to all the other "summer math" numbers, ultimately we should keep in mind the significance and value of one - each young life we hope to improve and our singular focus to graduate all students prepared for college, work, and citizenship.

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