$250M investment aims to boost graduation with ed tech

A new $250 million campaign from AT&T seeks to help more students graduate from high school ready for college or a career through a “socially innovative” approach that will engage education stakeholders as they use educational technology to devise new solutions to challenging social problems.

The AT&T Aspire program has put more than $100 million into educational initiatives since 2008, and the new $250 million investment will focus on using technology to connect with students in new and more effective ways, including interactive gaming, web-based content, and social media. The Aspire program intends to help every student graduate from high school “equipped with the knowledge and skills to strengthen the nation’s workforce,” said AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson.

The initiative includes:

• Expanding strategic alliances with organizations that specialize in developing and marketing new interactive learning tools that better engage today’s students.
• Incorporating gaming, the internet, video, and social media into educational programs.
• Enabling students in underserved communities to explore careers before graduating through internships in areas related to 21st-century skills.
• Collaborating on a revolutionary nationwide initiative with GameDesk, aimed at transforming traditional instruction and equalizing education for all students.