Why educational attainment matters is unambiguous. The most persuasive research in the social sciences draws straight lines between secondary and post-secondary completion and longer lifespans, better health outcomes, increased lifetime earnings, reduced incarceration rates, more frequent participation in democratic and civic activity, and having children with higher levels of educational attainment. In essence, improving educational attainment provides the opportunity for every student to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. It is also instrumental to the nation’s health, economy, democracy and social fabric. And if the United States is to address the interrelated problems of income inequality, social mobility, and racial justice, we must address the attainment challenge head-on.

At the Carnegie Foundation, we increase the number of underrepresented students who complete high school and succeed in post-secondary education.  To do this, we leverage improvement science and work with partners to scale the use of high-quality, evidence-based student success systems in schools, with a focus on underrepresented students.

Through The GRAD Partnership for Student Success, we partner with the Everyone Graduates Center, the American Institutes of Research, BARR Center, National Center for Learning Disabilities, Network for College Success, Rural Schools Collaborative, Talent Development Secondary, and the Schott Foundation to dramatically increase rates of secondary completion and postsecondary entry for underrepresented students nationwide.