ATL Schools Get $600K From Gates Foundation

ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta public school students are going to be getting a little extra help getting into college, thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Atlanta Public Schools and Achieve Atlanta, a scholarship fund, have received a $532,000 from the foundation — set up by the Microsoft founder and his wife — to build a technical platform that will help match students with colleges where they're likely to thrive.

In addition, the foundation awarded a $90,000 grant to APS to provide professional development and training for school counselors on such "match and fit" technology.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Under the system, a student makes a good match when he or she enrolls in an institution whose average attendee is at or above that student's high-school academic profile. Finding a good fit includes factors such as affordability, school culture, location and availability of programs aligned to the student's interests.

"Creating a college-going culture and match and fit are critical components of our district’s college readiness strategy," said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen. "The deep investments provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Achieve Atlanta will be key in helping us create effective, data-driven strategies and interventions so APS students will successfully enroll in post-secondary institutions and have the appropriate support to persist and graduate."

Research shows that students who go to good "match and fit" colleges are more likely to earn a degree.

Since the start of a partnership between Atlanta Public Schools and Achieve Atlanta in 2015, the percentage of APS students enrolling in a post-secondary program after high school has increased by nearly 10 percent.

More students also are receiving needs-based aid to help pay for college under the partnership.

Achieve Atlanta was one of 19 organizations in 12 states to receive grants from the Gates Foundation. More than 500 organizations from across the country applied.

"We recognize that to solve the complex problem of low college enrollment and completion, we must rally around a common vision and hold each other collectively accountable for student outcomes," said Tina Fernandez, Achieve Atlanta's executive director. "Ultimately, this is about eliminating income inequality in our city, strengthening our economy, and enabling the upward social mobility of the students we serve."

Photo via Shutterstock