(This series was originally posted May 2014)
Currently president of the U.S. Program, Allan C. Golston has been working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for nearly 15 years. Although his background is in business, at the Gates Foundation, a large area of focus in his (and the Foundation’s) grant making is about reforming America’s public education system. Golston works toward leveling the playing field for K-12 students from low-income families and other traditionally underserved groups who are at risk of falling through the cracks of what many perceive to be a crumbling system.
Golston is known to remind the public of the disparity between whites and students of color in education. He cites grim statistics, such as the 70% of black fourth graders who don’t read at their grade level. He’s also quick to note the two or three years that separate black students from their white classmates. The U.S. Program’s K-12 initiative, called College-Ready, seeks to prepare all students for postsecondary education, regardless of race or background.
The Gates Foundation’s overall goal for the U.S. Program: to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged Americans. Golston’s views complement those of the foundation nicely. Golston is aware that the national education system has along way to go, though. He has publicly questioned the equality of our existing schools, asking: “In this land of opportunity, doesn’t everyone have the right to a great education, regardless of race, family income, ZIP code, or life circumstances?”
Golston’s work at Gates does have a heavy focus on America’s students, however, helping teachers is also an area of focus for the foundation. As part of the Foundation’s College-Ready Education program, which focuses on K-12 school systems, the Foundation states:”Teachers deserve professional development opportunities that they help shape, give them the support they need when they need it, and enable them to collaborate and share best practices.”
Although Golston isn’t one-sighted when it comes to the nation’s school systems, he’s also looking at the big picture from a financial perspective. In a post on the foundation’s blog, he cited a McKinsey & Company report that linked the academic success of Latino and black students to America’s gross domestic product (GDP). The report argued that bringing these minority students up to par with Caucasian students would have increased the GDP by $310 billion in 2008 alone.
Golston’s background sheds a little bit of light on his financial perspectives in education. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Colorado and and MBA from Seattle University. When he joined Gates in 1999, he served as the foundation’s chief financial and administrative officer.