President Obama and Melinda Gates visit TechBoston Academy
On Tuesday, President Obama, Melinda Gates, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited TechBoston Academy to celebrate the achievements of students and faculty in fostering a technology-rich, college preparatory curriculum, and maximizing student engagement. Check out some pictures from yesterday’s event below!
TechBoston Academy, a 6-12 grade pilot school in the Boston Public Schools that was founded in 2002 with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, offers a college preparatory curriculum centered around technology as a bridge that connects the student to learning.
During the past 9 years, TechBoston Academy has proven that with the right structure and support systems, all students can learn and succeed. In fact, most students new to the program are typically two grade levels behind where they should be. But success is in the stats. TechBoston Academy students boast an 83 percent graduation rate, 20 percentage points higher than the citywide average, and a 95 percent college acceptance rate.
Partnerships with private businesses have continued to nurture the academy - it has grown from 75 students in 2002 to almost 800 this year! We at Microsoft are thrilled to support an extraordinary organization in the form of software donations and think tanks for teachers.
In his speech yesterday, Obama stated “Microsoft and the Gates Foundation have been partners with TechBoston since it got started, and we are very grateful for their support.” In fact, our Northeast office has been heavily involved with TechBoston through support of variety of initiatives including Internet and Cyber Safety campaigns, in which students received training to teach younger kids about being safe online. Our education DPE team has also conducted technology demos and career talks with TechBoston, including Digigirlz Days and job shadow days.
As we continue to make investments to support the future generations through education, we know that technology access is essential for success.
