At Google’s offices in Washington DC in April, the IB and other US educational leaders gathered to commit financial and other resources to achieve greater equity and access to high quality college-preparatory education for under-served students.
The group committed to enrolling 100,000 low-income students and students of colour in advanced academic classes across the US.
Lead by the non-profit organization Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), leaders from education, philanthropy and business committed to spending this investment over three years.
“We know how to reach the students who are missing these opportunities, and we know they are eager for academic challenges,” said Reid Saaris, founder & CEO of Equal Opportunity Schools. “Our national conversation is moving away from a focus on student deficits toward school leaders who see great strength and possibility in previously underserved students.”
The IB joined EOS and other partners in the effort, including The College Board, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Tableau Software, Inc., and Google. Others in attendance included senior White House officials and the US Department of Education’s John King.
“We are committing to fully reflect America’s diversity at the highest academic levels in our K-12 schools,” representatives from the partnership group said jointly during the meeting. The press release from EOS describes the project as the largest and most targeted effort ever to ensure low-income students and students of color are woven into the fabric of high academic achievement.
The group outlines their commitment in a five-point text. In point four, they pledge to collaborate and find innovative ways to achieve equity in advanced high school courses, including the proven school-wide transformational practices of international education, as required by the IB.
You can read more about the group’s commitment on the EOS website.
