The Challenge

Challenge 1:
Summer and After-School Programming

Students from under-resourced communities struggle to access high-quality summer and after school programming. These students face socio-economic challenges that have brought them to this critical point in their educational development, but they are all eager to learn and thrive.

Challenge 2:
Educational Inequality

The need for educational transformation in the U.S. is real and urgent. Right now children from under-resourced communities are performing significantly below grade level.

With third-grade reading serving as a powerful predictor of lifelong success, this educational inequity is holding back generations of children from reaching their full potential. This community crisis will affect lifelong success and the economy.

Educational inequality is the greatest social justice and civil rights issue in the U.S. today. With about 200 schools and 7,000 teachers, Shelby County Schools* is among the 25 largest districts in the U.S. Of the approximately 106,000 students in the district, 80% are economically disadvantaged by free & reduced lunch standards.

*Shelby County Schools is the school district serving Memphis and unincorporated areas of the county.

Challenge 3:
Community Impact

Technology is a driving force of our economy. Well-paying jobs often require a college degree and ever-greater levels of STEM skills. Yet studies show the U.S. lagging behind other developed countries in creating the workforce of the future, ranking 38th out of 71 countries in math, and 24th in science.