Though most of the billions a year that the Gates Foundation spends go to health projects in Africa and Asia, about 10% goes to a much different program in the U.S. Its ambitious goal: improve public education from kindergarten through high school, especially in cash-strapped or underserved school districts—and then guide high school graduates to good jobs.
Using its signature combination of data-driven insights, a tech-industry-derived focus on return on investment, public-facing advocacy, and collaborations across a range of public and private entities, the Gates Foundation has quietly nudged school districts toward its core tenets. Those include a focus on math, especially algebra; professional development for teachers; and reform-minded experimentation.
