AT&T Awards Nearly $500,000 for Workforce Readiness, Student Success in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – As part of AT&T’s* ongoing commitment to investing in America and helping students stay – and succeed – in school and on the job, J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T Mid Atlantic today joined educators, students and community leaders from Washington, DC to announce $395,000 in grants to programs that will help address high school success, postsecondary education preparedness and success, and workforce readiness for Washington, DC’s students. The event was held at Ballou Senior High School.

Jobs for America’s Graduates – District of Columbia, Inc. (JAG-DC) will receive $360,000 over four years to support the Jobs for America’s Graduates model at Ballou Senior High to provide transition services to about 200 at-risk youth. Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital (CISNCAP) received $35,000 to support a new Graduation Coach pilot program.

“Our country’s ability to compete depends on having a well-educated citizenry. For that to happen, we all must work to keep kids in school and equip them with the tools they will need for success,” said Schweder. “And that’s what we’re doing here today – bringing together community partners in Washington, DC to help put students – and our country – on a path to prosperity and success.”

Francie Glendening, CEO of JAG-DC agreed and added: “In the final analysis, we help students become the architects of their personal and academic lives, transforming them into change agents actively engaged in the world. The futures of the students we serve are inextricably linked with the future of our country. AT&T should be commended for recognizing the importance of this work and investing in it.”

“Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital is grateful for AT&T’s support of the Graduation Coach program at Ballou High. Our goals are the same: help underserved students so they can graduate on time and prepared for life,” said Tobeka G. Green, CISNCAP’s executive director. “Together we can make a difference in the lives of these important young people.”

In addition to the High School Success grants announced today, the Latin American Youth Center in Washington, DC also received a $95,585 grant from AT&T to support its dropout-prevention and workforce readiness programs. A separate event highlighting this program is tentatively planned for later this month.

The grants are part of the AT&T Foundation’s signature initiative, AT&T Aspire, which helps address high school success and workforce readiness. AT&T has committed $100 million in philanthropy through 2011 to schools and nonprofit organizations that are focused on high school retention and better preparing students for college and the workforce. The two recipients are among more than 170 schools and nonprofit organizations that received grants in the first year of the program.

The recipients of this year’s High School Success grants provide a range of support for students, including academic intervention, academic coaching and mentoring and tutoring services that are focused on improving reading and math skills, reducing truancy and building teen confidence. The recipient programs are managed by a variety of governmental and nonprofit organizations, including school districts, townships and education-serving nonprofit organizations.

As one of the largest-ever corporate commitments to high school retention and workforce readiness, the $100 million AT&T Aspire program supports proven programs that promote educational success, from the classroom to the workplace. In addition to the high school retention program grants, AT&T Aspire is funding initiatives in three key areas:

• A student job shadowing initiative involving 400,000 AT&T employee hours that will give 100,000 students a firsthand look at the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century workforce.
• The underwriting of national research that will explore the practitioner perspective (teachers, principals, superintendents, school counselors and school board members) on the high school dropout issue.
• Support for 100 state and community dropout prevention summits across the country.

All told, in 2008, AT&T and its employees contributed more than $2 million through corporate, employee and AT&T Foundation giving programs in Washington, DC.

For more information about the AT&T Aspire initiative, please visit www.att.com/education-news.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation’s fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation’s leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE(R) magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

For 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. As the AT&T Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009, more than $160 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

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