AT&T presents grant to Tempe Union High School District.
This news came in this week from the Tempe Union High School District:
Tempe Union High School District’s Summer Bridge program is a recipient of an AT&T Aspire grant that will total $294,622 over the next four years.
Funds will go to not only keep, but also expand and enhance the Summer Bridge program, which provides a unique program of academic and informative experiences to socially, educationally and economically disadvantaged students at the critical juncture between eighth grade and high school.
Jerry Fuentes, AT&T Arizona State President, presented Superintendent Steve Adolph and members of the TUHSD governing board with a check during a news conference Tuesday, Dec. 2 at the District Office.
“We are passionate about supporting programs like the Summer Bridge project that address key factors in high school retention. We support this because, as a major corporation, we are concerned about our workforce competing in the global economy. By helping students graduate from high school and encouraging them to continue their education and start building their careers, we can help students succeed — not just in school, but in life,” Fuentes said.
Through the Aspire initiative, AT&T has committed $100 million (over four years, 2008-2011) to a range of efforts that includes:
• Grants to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on helping students graduate from high school and become better prepared for college and/or the workforce.
• The underwriting of national research that will explore the perspectives and best practices of practitioners (teachers, principals, superintendents, school counselors and school board members) on the high school dropout issue.
• Support for 100 state and community dropout prevention summits, organized by America’s Promise Alliance to engage education experts and community leaders around the crisis and ways to address it.
“Through this generous grant from AT&T it is possible for a significant number of at-risk students to be successful at the high school level. We can help keep these students in school until graduation and prepare them with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century workforce,” Adolph said.
