AT&T Invests $1.25 Million in OneGoal to Help Close the College Degree Divide
Contribution empowers students across the country to achieve their greatest potential
CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2018 — As students return to school this fall, OneGoal, a national college access and success organization, received a renewed investment from AT&T to fuel its growth and innovation efforts as it works to close the degree divide in America. The technology company, which has been collaborating with the nonprofit since 2015, recently contributed $1.25 million to OneGoal over two years as part of AT&T Aspire, their signature philanthropic initiative.
“We believe that every young person should have an equitable opportunity to achieve their greatest postsecondary aspiration and we are grateful to AT&T for their continued collaboration in helping us to close the degree divide in America,” said Jeff Nelson, CEO and co-founder of OneGoal. “AT&T’s commitment will allow us to invest in key strategies that will help us transform our program, ensuring even more of our Fellows will realize their postsecondary dreams. This contribution will also enable us to design new ways to deliver our program that ultimately will increase our reach exponentially.”
Students from low- and high-income communities aspire to complete their postsecondary education at similar rates, but according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 22 percent of students from low-income communities earn a postsecondary degree, compared to 67 percent of their high-income peers. Eighty-one percent of OneGoal’s high school graduates enroll in a postsecondary institution and 86 percent of those who enroll persist one year later.
The funding will be used to support OneGoal’s three-year, teacher-led model, increase the number of students served, and fuel the organization’s ability to build the largest pipeline of college graduates from low-income communities. OneGoal’s unique program includes an in-school, credit-bearing class taught to a cohort of students in junior and senior years of high school, and continues with one-on-one remote support from the same teacher through their first year of postsecondary education.
“By investing in students today, we are preparing them for success tomorrow,” said Mylayna Albright, assistant vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at AT&T. “This funding will allow OneGoal to serve even more underserved young people and help them succeed in postsecondary education.”
Since its founding in Chicago 10 years ago, OneGoal has expanded and will serve more than 13,000 students in Atlanta, the Bay Area, Houston, New York and Massachusetts by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
About OneGoal
OneGoal is a coalition of teachers, students, school leaders and education advocates working to close the degree divide and ensure all young people have an equitable opportunity to achieve their greatest postsecondary aspirations. We collaborate closely with public schools in low-income communities, providing teachers with a robust curriculum, technology, training and coaching to implement our three-year model with a group of 25 students (called Fellows) per cohort. Teachers (called Program Directors) support the same group of Fellows beginning in 11th grade and bridge the gap through their first year after high school graduation. In communities where students typically have a 22 percent chance of graduating from college, 81 percent of OneGoal’s high school graduates enroll in a postsecondary institution and 86 percent of those who enroll persist one year later. OneGoal works in Chicago, Houston, Massachusetts, Metro Atlanta, New York and the Bay Area.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. We have a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities, promote academic and economic achievement, and address community needs. Our AT&T Aspire initiative uses innovation in education to drive student success in school and beyond. With a financial commitment of $450 million since 2008, AT&T is leveraging technology, relationships and social innovation to help all students make their biggest dreams a reality.