Editing Gates Foundation (section)

===Education===
A key aspect of the Gates Foundation's U.S. efforts involves an overhaul of the country's education policies at both the K-12 and college levels, including support for teacher evaluations and charter schools and opposition to seniority-based layoffs and other aspects of the education system that are typically backed by teachers' unions.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite web |id={{ProQuest|867938550}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/education/22gates.html |title=Behind Grass-Roots School Advocacy, Bill Gates |date=May 22, 2011 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 17, 2016 |archive-date=July 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726174444/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/education/22gates.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It spent $373 million on education in 2009.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> It has also donated to the two largest national teachers' unions.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> The foundation was the biggest early backer of the [[Common Core State Standards Initiative]].<ref name="nytimes.com"/> In October 2017 it was announced that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would spend more than $1.7 billion over five years to pay for new initiatives in public education.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/10/19/bill-gates-has-another-plan-for-k-12-public-education-the-others-didnt-go-so-well/|title=Analysis {{!}} Bill Gates has a(nother) billion-dollar plan for K-12 public education. The others didn't go so well |last=Strauss|first=Valerie|date=October 19, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=October 30, 2017|language=en-US |archive-date=October 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023030247/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/10/19/bill-gates-has-another-plan-for-k-12-public-education-the-others-didnt-go-so-well/|url-status=live}}</ref>

One of the foundation's goals is to lower poverty by increasing the number of college graduates in the United States, and the organization has funded "Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery" grants to think tanks and advocacy organizations to produce white papers on ideas for changing the current system of federal financial aid for college students, to increase graduation rates.<ref name="chronicle.com">{{cite news |url=http://chronicle.com/article/The-Gates-Effect/140323/ |author=Marc Parry |author2=Kelly Field |author3=Beckie Supiano |title=The Gates Effect |date=July 13, 2014 |newspaper=The Chronicle of Higher Education |access-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024133134/http://chronicle.com/article/The-Gates-Effect/140323/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Reimagining Financial Aid |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/14/look-all-15-reimagining-aid-design-and-delivery-reports-gates-foundation |website=Inside Higher Education |access-date=December 21, 2014 |date=March 24, 2013 |author=Libby A. Nelson |archive-date=July 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707130559/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/14/look-all-15-reimagining-aid-design-and-delivery-reports-gates-foundation |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the ways the foundation has sought to increase the number of college graduates is to get them through college faster, but that idea has received some pushback from organizations of universities and colleges.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://chronicle.com/article/How-Gates-Shapes-State/140303/ |title=How Gates Shapes State Higher-Education Policy |journal=The Chronicle of Higher Education |date=July 14, 2013 |last1=Mangan |first1=Katherine |access-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024133144/http://chronicle.com/article/How-Gates-Shapes-State/140303/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As part of its education-related initiatives, the foundation has funded journalists, think tanks, lobbying organizations, and governments. Millions of dollars of grants to news organizations have funded reporting on education and higher education, including more than $1.4 million to the Education Writers Association to fund training for journalists who cover education.<ref name="shape conversation">{{cite news|url=http://chronicle.com/article/To-Shape-the-National/140297/|author=Jennifer Ruark|title=To Shape the National Conversation, Gates and Lumina Support Journalism|date=July 14, 2013|newspaper=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=October 18, 2014|archive-date=October 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024133129/http://chronicle.com/article/To-Shape-the-National/140297/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some of the foundation's educational initiatives have included:
* [[Gates Cambridge Scholarships]]: In 2000, the Gates Foundation donated $210 million to help outstanding graduate students from the U.S. and around the world to study at the prestigious [[University of Cambridge]]. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship has often been compared to the [[Rhodes Scholarship]] given its international scope and substantial endowment. The scholarship remains extremely competitive with just 0.3% of applicants being selected. Each year, approximately 100 new graduate students from around the world receive funding to attend [[Cambridge University]]. Several buildings at the [[University of Cambridge]] also bear the name of William and Melinda Gates after sizable contributions to their construction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gates.scholarships.cam.ac.uk/ |title=gates.scholarships.cam.ac.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509054021/http://www.gates.scholarships.cam.ac.uk/ |archive-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:20130808 Kings Back Court 01.jpg|thumb|[[Cambridge University]]]]
* [[Cornell University]]: Received $25 million from the foundation for a new Information Science building, named "Bill and Melinda Gates Hall". The total cost of the building was estimated at $60 million. Construction began in March 2012 and officially opened in January 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2014/01/cornells-new-gates-hall-not-what-it-seems|title=Cornell's new Gates Hall is not what it seems|website=Cornell Chronicle |first1=H. Roger |last1=Segelken |date=January 23, 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504015433/https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2014/01/cornells-new-gates-hall-not-what-it-seems|archivedate=4 May 2021}}</ref>
* [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]: Part of the [[Ray and Maria Stata Center]] is known as the "Gates Tower" in recognition of partial funding of the building.
* [[Carnegie Mellon University]]: The foundation gave $20 million to the [[Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science]] for a new Computer Science building called the "Gates Center for Computer Science".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060407_gates.html|title=University Unveils Plans for New Gates Center for Computer Science|website=Carnegie Mellon Today |first1= Bruce |last1=Gerson |date=April 21, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408181938/https://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060407_gates.html |archive-date= Apr 8, 2023 }}</ref> It officially opened on September 22, 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gateshillman.blog.cs.cmu.edu/?p%3D122 |title=The Move |date=September 7, 2009 |website=SCS Complex Information and Blog |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723190426/http://gateshillman.blog.cs.cmu.edu/?p=122 |archive-date=July 23, 2010 }}</ref>
* Smaller schools: The Gates Foundation claims one in five students is unable to read and grasp the contents of what they read, and African American and Latino students are graduating high school with the skills of a middle school student.<ref name="Tom Vander Ark 2002, pg 55-59">{{cite journal |last1=Vander Ark |first1=Tom |title=The Case for Small High Schools |journal=Educational Leadership |date=2002 |volume=59 |issue=5 |pages=55–59 |id={{ERIC|EJ640906}} |oclc=425514513 }}</ref> Gates Foundation has invested more than $250 million in grants to create new small schools, reduce student-to-teacher ratios, and to divide up large high schools through the schools-within-a-school model.<ref name="Tom Vander Ark 2002, pg 55-59" />
* D.C. Achievers Scholarships: The Gates Foundation announced March 22, 2007, a $122 million initiative to send hundreds of the District of Columbia's poorest students to college.<ref name="The Denver Post 2007">{{cite web | title=Gateses opening doors to college for D.C. kids – The Denver Post | website=The Denver Post | date=2007-03-22 | url=https://www.denverpost.com/2007/03/22/gateses-opening-doors-to-college-for-d-c-kids/ | access-date=2021-04-14 | archive-date=April 14, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414200052/https://www.denverpost.com/2007/03/22/gateses-opening-doors-to-college-for-d-c-kids/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The Washington Times 2007">{{cite web | title=Money for college | website=The Washington Times | date=2007-03-23 | url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/mar/23/20070323-085425-4562r/ | access-date=2021-04-14 | archive-date=April 14, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414200045/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/mar/23/20070323-085425-4562r/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Gates Millennium Scholars]]: Administered by the [[United Negro College Fund]], the foundation donated $1.5 billion for scholarships to high achieving minority students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gmsp.org/|title=Gates Millennium Scholars Program|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123114608/https://gmsp.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* NewSchools Venture Fund: The foundation contributed $30 million to help NewSchools to manage more charter schools, which aim to prepare students in historically underserved areas for college and careers.
* [[Strong American Schools]]: On April 25, 2007, the Gates Foundation joined forces with the [[Eli Broad|Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation]] pledging a joint $60 million to create [[Strong American Schools]], a nonprofit project responsible for running [[Strong American Schools|ED in 08]], an initiative and information campaign aimed at encouraging 2008 presidential contenders to include education in their campaign policies.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|848180638}} |last1=Herszenhorn |first1=David M |title=Billionaires Start $60 Million Schools Effort |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/education/25schools.html |work=The New York Times |date=25 April 2007 }}</ref>
* [[Teaching Channel]]: The Gates Foundation announced in September 2011 a $3.5 million initiative to launch a multi-platform service delivering professional development videos for teachers over the Internet, public television, cable and other digital outlets.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2011/Pages/The-Teaching-Channel-OPP1040433.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129050721/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2011/Pages/The-Teaching-Channel-OPP1040433.aspx|url-status=dead |title=Gates Foundation Announces Grant To Teaching Channel |archive-date=November 29, 2012}}</ref> To date, over 500,000 teachers and educators have joined the community to share ideas, lesson plans and teaching methods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teachingchannel.org/teachers |title=Teaching Channel Community |work=Teaching Channel|access-date=December 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224194928/http://www.teachingchannel.org/teachers|archive-date=December 24, 2011|url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The Gates Scholarship Program: In October 2015, the foundation committed $417.2 million to the [[Hispanic Scholarship Fund]] to administer The Gates Scholarship, a program that would support high-achieving minority students from low-income backgrounds through the completion of their undergraduate degrees.<ref>{{cite web |title=INV-006827 |url=https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants/2015/10/inv-006827 |website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |language=en}}</ref> The program was officially launched in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.thegatesscholarship.org/ |website=www.thegatesscholarship.org |language=en}}</ref>
* The Texas High School Project: The project was set out to increase and improve high school graduation rates across Texas. The foundation committed $84.6 million to the project beginning in 2003. The project focuses its efforts on high-need schools and districts statewide, with an emphasis on urban areas and the Texas-Mexico border.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edtx.org/|title=Educate Texas – Home|website=www.edtx.org|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119124049/https://www.edtx.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* University Scholars Program: Donated $20 million in 1998 to endow a [[scholarship]] program at Melinda Gates' alma mater, [[Duke University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.duke.edu/dukeusp/about-2/history/ |title=History – University Scholars Program |access-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819000535/https://sites.duke.edu/dukeusp/about-2/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The program provides full scholarships to about 10 members of each undergraduate class and one member in each class in each of the professional schools (schools of medicine, business, law, divinity, environment, nursing, and public policy), as well as to students in the Graduate School pursuing doctoral degrees in any discipline. Graduate and professional school scholars serve as mentors to the undergraduate scholars, who are chosen based on financial need and potential for interdisciplinary academic interests. Scholars are chosen each spring from new applicants to Duke University's undergraduate, graduate, and professional school programs. The program features seminars to bring these scholars together for interdisciplinary discussions and an annual spring symposium organized by the scholars.
* Washington State Achievers Scholarship: The Washington State Achievers program encourages schools to create cultures of high academic achievement while providing scholarship support to select college-bound students.
* William H. Gates Public Service Law Program: This program awards five full scholarships annually to the [[University of Washington School of Law]]. Scholars commit to working in relatively low-paying public service legal positions for at least the first five years following graduation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.washington.edu/GatesScholar/Default.aspx |title=Gates Public Service Law – UW School of Law – Public Service |access-date=March 12, 2015 |archive-date=March 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329054503/http://www.law.washington.edu/gatesscholar/Default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[University of Texas at Austin]]: $30 million challenge grant to build the [[Gates-Dell Complex|Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex]].<ref>[http://www.cs.utexas.edu/news-events/news/2009/new-computer-science-complex-university-texas-austin-receives-30-million-chall New Computer Science Complex at The University of Texas at Austin Receives $30 Million Challenge Grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | Computer Science Department The University of Texas at Austin]. Cs.utexas.edu (April 17, 2009). Retrieved on September 4, 2013.</ref>
* STAND UP: a national campaign that seeks to positively impact the current crisis within the United States public education system by calling upon community leaders, parents, students, and citizens to encourage change and STAND UP for better schools and the future of America's children. STAND UP was co-founded by the [[Eli Broad]] Foundation and was launched in April 2006 on The Oprah Winfrey Show in a two-part feature.
* [[Alliance for Early Success]] to support the promotion, education, coordination, and alignment of policies that support vulnerable children ages birth through age eight.<ref>[https://earlysuccess.org/aboutus/national-early-childhood-funders/ Investors, Alliance for Early Success] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714180415/https://earlysuccess.org/aboutus/national-early-childhood-funders/ |date=July 14, 2020 }}, Retrieved on July 20, 2020.</ref>
* [[Every Student Succeeds Act]]: donated about $44 million to help with the 2015 federal education law.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/05/16/us/ap-us-bill-gates-state-school-plans-.html |title=Bill Gates Gives $44M to Influence State Education Reform |date=May 16, 2018 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 16, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516182140/https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/05/16/us/ap-us-bill-gates-state-school-plans-.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The Gates Scholarship Program, which awards The Gates Scholarship (TGS), was launched in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About TGS |url=https://www.thegatesscholarship.org/about-gates/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.thegatesscholarship.org |language=en}}</ref>