AT&T pumps $250m into education

AT&T has reopened its Aspire programme, shelling out $250 million to help fix what is widely seen as a US student dropout crisis, PhoneArena reports.

With Aspire, AT&T wants to send “a real wake-up” call and, as it's one of the biggest corporate investments in education in recent years, it should serve its purpose. The $250 million funding will spread over five years.

“AT&T Aspire works towards an America where every student graduates high school equipped with the knowledge and skills to strengthen the nation's workforce,” AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said.

BGR writes that AT&T Aspire, already among the most significant US corporate educational initiatives with more than $100 million invested since 2008, will tackle high school success and college/career readiness for students at risk of dropping out of high school through a much larger, “socially innovative” approach.

Social innovation goes beyond traditional philanthropy, which typically involves only charitable giving, to also engage people and technology to bring different approaches, new solutions and added resources to challenging social problems.

AT&T Aspire will use technology to connect with students in new and more effective ways, such as with interactive gamification, Web-based content and social media. The company will also tap the innovation engine of the AT&T Foundry to look for fresh or atypical approaches to educational obstacles.

Finally, AT&T Aspire will capitalise on the power of personal connections in the form of mentoring, internships and other voluntary efforts that involve many of AT&T's approximately 260 000 employees. The Aspire effort has already impacted more than one million US high school students, helping them prepare for success in the workplace and college.