Straight from the Students: On Track for College and Careers

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is producing the Let’s Talk series to share what we are learning from our investments and the work of our partners. Our goal is to share what districts and schools should consider—and avoid—so that we can all learn from each other as we continue to advance college readiness for all students.

Meet Ben Owens. Ben is a charismatic teacher-leader who aspires to instill his passion for math and physics in his students. He has seen how shifting the attention from his voice to his students’ voices can lead to higher levels of engagement and performance in the classroom.

As the foundation focuses grantmaking efforts on middle and high schools, there is still much to learn about the work and needs of these schools in networks. Our K-12 team invites organizations that have facilitated networks for school improvement or believe they have the skills to do so to respond to a foundation-issued Request for Information (RFI).