Education Circle

The Challenge | Our Goal | Our Approach | Current Grantees

The Challenge

Of the one million students who attend public school in the Bay Area, about half are not performing at grade level. And while dropout statistics are a subject of some dispute, as many as a third of Bay Area students drop out of school before graduating. Of those who do graduate, only a third meet the requirements to apply to a four-year college. Averages across the general population mask even more dismal demographic trends; for example, the college-ready graduation rate for Hispanic and African-American males in the Bay Area is well below 10 percent.

Statistics such as these would be cause for concern in any community, but in the high-rent, tech-charged Bay Area they are particularly troubling.

Our Goal

Full Circle Fund's Education Circle strives to improve the effectiveness of public education in the Bay Area, especially for underserved communities.

Our Approach

The Education Circle has partnered with outstanding social innovators and nonprofits to explore different approaches to educational reform, with the ultimate goal of improving both educational access and outcomes for children. The key principles that guide selection of grants and projects are articulated in the Education Impact Guide.

Current Grantees

Selected by the Education Circle in May 2008:

• Alt Comp Dialogue
• Niroga
• Alternative Funding
• We The Teachers
• Who're Your Five

"For the past decade, the New Teacher Center has worked to ensure that new teachers across the country have access to the highest quality of support they need as they enter the profession. The greatest joy in our partnership with Full Circle Fund is that members are as committed to and passionate about new teacher development as we are. It has been truly a phenomenal opportunity to work with Full Circle Fund's team as they have helped us advance our communication strategies to a new level."

Ellen Moir

Executive Director, New Teacher Center