Hear what our supporters are saying.

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

"Education reform in America works best when the public and private sectors work in partnership. I commend AT&T for continuing their commitment to invest in education. Randall Stephenson has been a strong leader and advocate in this effort. Targeted funding for at-risk youth and scaling-up local innovations to improve student learning are valuable, critical resources that our principals, teachers, and parents need to provide more children with a high-quality, college and career-ready education."

General Colin L. Powell, (USA) Ret., founding chairman, America's Promise Alliance

"America's Promise Alliance was founded on the belief that young people must be our nation's greatest priority. Helping youth achieve their full potential is not just good for our country, it's good for business. AT&T understands this and is demonstrating that through its Aspire program."

Alma J. Powell, chair, America's Promise Alliance

"Grad Nation is about the simple but powerful understanding that each of us has a role to play in helping support our nation's youth. AT&T takes that charge seriously through its successful Aspire program and we're grateful for their partnership and support of Grad Nation and America's Promise Alliance."

Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles

"The health of our country is undeniably linked to the health of our schools. It is critical that we give our next generation of citizens and leaders the education and skills needed to compete in the new global economy.

The number of students who drop out of school is way too high. Our kids need access to schools, programs, and opportunities that inspire them to learn and achieve.

The AT&T Aspire program has taken on the challenge of building partnerships with organizations that support students, parents, and educators in some of the most vulnerable communities across the country. This is exactly what American corporations should be doing to help prepare and secure our future workforce."

Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO, NAACP

"It is clear that AT&T fully recognizes the critical need to tackle the issue of education if our country is to continue to compete in the global market. Through the generous support of AT&T, the NAACP is able to encourage the academic achievement of young people in communities throughout the country. AT&T has taken a leadership role in helping the NAACP create sustainable solutions for closing the education gap and we are pleased to partner with them in this effort."

Bob Wise, President of the Alliance for Excellent Education and Former Governor of West Virginia

"It is clear that education is critical to economic growth and development in this country. It is also clear that we must do more to increase high school graduation rates if we are going to compete successfully in a global economy. That's why it's great to see AT&T continuing its commitment to this issue through the Aspire program. By working with educators, students, families and communities, AT&T is investing in opportunities for young people to achieve future success and build the skilled work force we need in communities across the nation."

Dennis Van Roekel, President, National Education Association

"Improving our public schools to ensure student success is a goal we share with AT&T. Through our network of educators and resources, we are committed to working with private partners to strengthen public education. AT&T's Aspire program recognizes that education is critical to the development of our future workforce and it lays the foundation for healthy communities. We appreciate this ongoing investment in such important work."

Edd Lee, Mayor of San Francisco

"San Francisco is making sure our youth have a world class education, making sure they are college ready and prepared for a 21st century innovation economy. The AT&T Aspire program exemplifies a commitment to close the education gap by engaging youth with technology and using innovation to bring a different approach to challenging social problems. It's exactly what we are doing here in the ‘Innovation Capital of the World’"

Edward James Olmos, Actor/Issues Advocate

"The AT&T Aspire program and others like it are working to empower children with the tools they need to be successful. In the face of staggering statistics that indicate that people who do not complete high school are more likely to face a myriad of challenges and compounding disadvantages, Aspire provides hope. By supporting organizations and educators to provide our kids with knowledge that empowers them to strive, AT&T is helping to strengthen communities."

Henry Cisneros, former HUD Secretary; former Mayor of San Antonio

"AT&T understands that our country's ability to compete globally relies on our ability to properly educate our children. Given the evolving demographic shifts in the U.S., Latino children are key to our trajectory and our success. The Aspire program, and other corporate efforts like it, are critical to ensuring that we can provide pathways for career and life opportunities for our kids."

Hill Harper, Founder, Manifest Your Destiny Foundation

"It is imperative to me that young men and women become aware of their options. All too often they are disconnected from opportunity because of a lack of access to technology. To that end, MANifest Your Destiny Foundation is working to close the digital divide. The MYD Foundation is proud to partner with AT&T's Aspire and remains dedicated to providing underserved youth pathways to empowerment and educational excellence through technology, academic programming, college access skills, and personal development."

Dr. Juan Andrade, U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute

"There is no issue more important than educating our nation's children. Our economic health and ability to compete with countries around the world relies on a properly educated workforce. What AT&T is doing through its significant and innovative investment in education is admirable."

Marc Morial, President and CEO National Urban League

"I can't overstate the impact of Project Ready and AT&T's generous support. More than 4,000 young people have completed Project Ready in their local communities and have experienced success across a number of dimensions. More and more students are choosing to pursue careers in science and technology as a direct result of their participation in Project Ready, thanks to AT&T's commitment to educational opportunity."

Margaret Spellings, President of Margaret Spellings & Company, Senior Advisor to the US Chamber of Commerce, and former Secretary of Education

"The AT&T Aspire program underscores the critical importance of corporate support, specifically private/public partnerships like this one, for evidence-based programs that can stem the dropout crisis and help ensure that the U.S. workforce remains globally competitive."

Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress, Counselor to the Center for American Progress Action Fund

"The Center for American progress heartily applauds AT&T's Aspire program. Education is one of the core engines that drive equal opportunity and shared prosperity in our country. It is innovative programs like Aspire that will make a meaningful impact on the students that need it the most, their teachers and communities across the country."

Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

"When we invest to build and support strong public schools and provide teachers with the tools and resources they need, we can give all our students the education they deserve and ensure they can reach for their dreams. AT&T's ASPIRE program brings together teachers, nonprofits, parents and volunteers whose energy and commitment both in the classroom and the community help our children learn and grown."

Susan L. Taylor, National CARES Mentoring Movement; Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Essence Magazine

"There is no more important goal for our nation than advancing a love for learning and college and 21st-century workforce readiness among our young. While the United States was once the world leader in education, today it's leading the world in high school dropout rates and is number 15 in college graduation rates. AT&T's investment in Aspire—the largest investment in the company's history and surely among the most important initiatives in the corporate world today—will help write a new history for our children and our country. Aspire is a bold transformational initiative and can go a long way in transforming lives, ensuring that the U.S., our citizens and corporations are able to compete at the top tier of the global economy and win. Bravo, AT&T family!"