What's Inside:

Front Page
— Education Now and In the Future: Conference offers solutions to educators' questions
Features
— Supporting High School Redesign
— Student 'Zine Describes Reform Efforts
— Video Features Tutoring Program
— Business and Philanthropy: Educating the Northwest and Beyond
— National Forum Focuses on Reform Efforts
— Online Survey Facilitates Change Process
— Providing Supplemental Services to Rural Schools

Conference News
— Conference Call

What's New on the Web
— www.nwrel.org

Flashback
— Pictures from past events

Credits
— Credits

Business and
Philanthropy:

Educating the Northwest and Beyond

Businesses and foundations are doing more than just paying for new school band uniforms and field trips these days. Many are actively engaged in reinventing the K-12 educational system and changing the "three R's" from reading, writing, and arithmetic to rigor, relevance, and relationships.

How these funders are shaping everything from curriculum to school leadership is detailed in the latest issue of NW Education, "Compound Interest: Business and Philanthropy in Education Reform." The quarterly magazine features indepth interviews with two of the biggest players in educational philanthropy: Craig Barrett, chief executive officer of Intel Corporation, and Tom Vander Ark, education director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Businesses ought to be advocates for high expectations for all kids," says Vander Ark, the former superintendent of the Federal Way (Washington) School District. "Closing the achievement gap is not just a workforce development issue, it's a social justice issue." Vander Ark is "optimistic" about the Gates Foundation initiative to restructure large, urban high schools into smaller learning communities (see article, page 2). "These are going to be great options for kids who didn't have options before," he believes.

Alaska Native foundations, such as The CIRI Foundation and the First Alaskans Institute, are pushing for systemic changes that will help students succeed in both the traditional and Western worlds. By underwriting research, recruiting more Native teachers, and having a strong voice in state policy, they hope to improve tribal members' school achievement levels and graduation rates. "We know we've got to have community, family, and parental involvement, (and) they've got to drive the local agenda for education," says Sarah Scanlan of First Alaskans.

The Winter 2003 NW Education also describes the growing influence of districtwide school foundations and how philanthropies with a single focus are making a big impact. "Compound Interest" can be accessed online at www.nwrel.org/nwedu/ in late January.

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