Compelling Reasons to Invest in Education

We believe in investing in education for several reasons:

Each year, the U.S. spends $9,644 per student compared to $22,600 per prison inmate.

Alliance for Excellent Education. (2006, November). Healthier and Wealthier: Decreasing Health Casre Costs by Increasing Educational Attainment. Washington, DC

More than 1.2 million students drop out of school every year. That's more than 6,000 students every school day and one every 26 seconds.

Education Week. (2007, June 12). Diplomas Count 2007: Ready for What? Preparing Students for College, Careers, and Life after High School. Bethesda, MD

For each additional year of schooling, the odds that a student will someday commit a crime like murder or assault are reduced by almost one-third.

McKinsey & Company. (2007, May). Education: The Global Challenge 2007. London

Over the course of a lifetime, a college graduate will earn more than $1 million more than a high school graduate.

U.S. Census Current Population Reports, Series P-60, from Digest of Education Statistics, 2005

More than 1 in 3 American fourth graders (34%) can't read at basic levels. They are unable to read a short essay and then answer basic questions about the material.

The Nation's Report Card 2007

The U.S. overall high school graduation rate trails most other industrialized nations.

Organization For Economic Co-Operation And Development, Education at a Glance 2007