Education leaders from all frontiers announced a commitment to spend a total of $100 million over three years time to enroll low-income students and minorities in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate high school classes.

Led by non-profit organization Equal Opportunity of Schools, the effort is aimed at leveling the playing field in education and give opportunities to the disadvantaged.

Partners of the effort include the College Board, Google.org, and Tableau Software, Inc. and is supported by President Obama's federal My Brothers Keeper Task Force (MBK).

The effort is in accordance with a recent report published by MBK that included "recommendations for growing student achievement, including expanding access to and successful completion of rigorous courses."

Equal Opportunity Schools has spent years working with "63 districts across the country to close fully participation gaps in AP and IB courses," according to the press release.

Since its journey began, it has helped over 10,000 students in 11 states succeed in advanced courses.

Specifically, the commitment, called "Lead Higher," hopes to help more than 100,000 students with its initiative given the fact that "650,000 low-income students and students of color per year should be represented in the AP/IB course-taking population, but are not," according to the text of the commitment.

It aims to tackle the issue that less than 1 percent of diverse schools within the country have the significant advanced course options. Lead Higher also aims to fully take advantage of its strong base of partners and anticipates the strong partnerships being the commitment's foundation for success. It pledges to use the "deep data and coaching experience" from Equal Opportunity Schools" and the experience of the College Board to help "prepare and propel all students toward college success," for example.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

04/29/2015