Updates
 
In 2006, we made a grant to help rebuild public libraries in the Gulf Coast region that were destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
In 2007, 15 of the 18 temporary library facilities we funded had opened their doors.

The remaining libraries, delayed because of permit problems, are slated to open soon. The staff at these libraries reports that free computer and Internet access is the most popular service they offer and that the computer workstations are always full.

 
 
In 2006, we reported on the progress being made in New York City's high schools. The 14 new small schools that opened in 2002 graduated almost 80 percent of their students that spring.
In 2007, we received data on 47 schools that opened in 2002 and 2003. Their combined graduation rate is more than 70 percent, more than double that of the schools they replaced.

The fact that the rates stayed high even as the number of schools with graduating classes increased from 14 to 47 gives us confidence that the solutions in New York are both sustainable over the long term and scalable so that they reach millions of students.

 
 
In 2006, we reported preliminary data about our Sound Families Initiative, which started in 2000 with the goal of tripling the amount of affordable, transitional housing in the Puget Sound region that is linked with support services such as child care and domestic abuse counseling.
In 2007, Sound Families made its final round of grants and released its final evaluation report.

The initiative built 1,445 units of housing, and our grantees have served almost 3,000 children. Two-thirds of the families in a Sound Families program move to permanent housing, and 90 percent of those families were still in permanent housing after a year. Moreover, about half of families increased their incomes by the end of the program, and after a year, that figure went up to three-quarters of families.

 
 
In 2005, we worked with the National Governors' Association and Achieve Inc. to help states implement more rigorous education policies that would lead to higher graduation rates.
In 2007, Achieve announced progress that a number of states have made on multiple fronts.

Nineteen states have aligned their high school standards college entrance requirements, and 26 more states plan to do so. Eighteen states and Washington, D.C. require all students to complete a college- and career-ready curriculum to graduate, and 12 more states plan to do so. Nine states administer college readiness tests to all students, and 23 more states plan to do so. Eight states have implemented extensive data systems that track students from preschool through college, and 39 more states plan to do so.

 

U.S. Program Overview

We are committed to the goal of extending greater opportunity to everyone in the United States, with a particular focus on improving secondary and postsecondary education in America.

Right now, many of the pathways to opportunity in our society have turned into dead ends. Many of the things we do to help prepare young people for productive and rewarding lives simply don’t meet that goal. In particular, America’s education system fails millions of students every year. But working with our partners, we have seen that change is possible, and we have continually reaffirmed our belief that these problems can be solved.

We work with organizations throughout the country that have a history of bringing ingenuity and innovation to bear on the problems that limit opportunity. We help our partners create high-performing schools and fashion better public policy so that all students get a great high school education regardless of how much their families make or where they happen to live. In today’s world, a high school diploma is insufficient. And so we also are working to double the number of young adults who complete a post-secondary degree or certificate that has real value in the workplace.

Bill and Melinda Gates also understand that barriers to opportunity go beyond the classroom. They believe in the power of information, and so the foundation helps public libraries ensure that everyone has access to life-changing technology through computers and the Internet. And in the Pacific Northwest region, the foundation helps local organizations provide a range of services, especially excellent early childhood learning programs and programs that help vulnerable families break the cycle of homelessness.

In 2007, our ongoing commitment in these areas was bolstered by the addition of several strong leaders to our team who will carry our work forward: Vicki Phillips (Education), Hilary Pennington (Special Initiatives), David Bley (Pacific Northwest), and Greg Shaw (Advocacy). In addition, we launched our Special Initiatives work, resulting in a commitment to post-secondary education.

In all of our U.S. work, we share our results with other nonprofits, businesses, and government at all levels. We know that it will take a combined, concerted effort to support our mission to ensure greater opportunity for all Americans through the attainment of secondary and post-secondary education with genuine economic value.