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Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com AT&T Launches $100 Million Philanthropic Education Program, Job Shadowing for 100,000 Students ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), April 20, 2008 - Doing its part to help address the issue of nearly one-third of U.S. high school students dropping out, AT&T Inc. has announced the launch of AT&T Aspire, a $100 million philanthropic program, which includes job shadowing for 100,000 students nationwide, to help strengthen student success and workforce readiness. "In the U.S., 1.2 million students drop out of high school every year. This has implications for individuals and for our nation's global economic leadership," said AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson, who will address the topic Thursday at the Economic Club of Chicago. "AT&T Aspire is about supporting the great work already underway to help our kids succeed in school, and helping students see the connection between education and their best future." Through the Aspire initiative, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are committing $100 million (over four years, 2008 - 2011) toward high school success and workforce readiness. The platform includes four key elements: America's Promise Alliance recently noted that nearly one-third of U.S. high school students drop out before graduating - with about 7,000 students dropping out every school day, or one every 26 seconds. And, March statistics from the U.S. Labor Department show that the 8.2 percent jobless rate for Americans with less than a high school education is 60 percent higher than the overall jobless rate of 5.1 percent. This issue has significant long-term implications for workforce readiness and continued U.S. leadership in the global economy, Stephenson said. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, students who are unprepared to enter college cost the U.S. economy more than $3.7 billion annually in lost earnings and remedial education costs. And, according to the landmark study "The Silent Epidemic" by John Bridgeland, a high school dropout earns, on average, $9,200 less a year than a high school graduate and about $1 million less over a lifetime than a college graduate. $100 Million AT&T Aspire Program Will Fund Education, Workforce Grants As one of the largest-ever corporate commitments to high school retention and workforce readiness, the $100 million AT&T Aspire program will support proven organizations that promote educational success, from the classroom to the workplace. Beginning this month, the AT&T Foundation - the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T Inc. - will solicit grant proposals from schools and local organizations focused on high school retention. AT&T Launches Unprecedented Companywide Job Shadow Initiative The company's job shadowing initiative involves committing 400,000 employee volunteer hours to reach 100,000 students over the next five years. The program will pair AT&T employees with students in grades 9-12 so that students can experience the world of work and see firsthand the kinds of skills necessary to be successful in the workplace. "AT&T is uniquely positioned to inspire tomorrow's workforce through job shadowing," said Bill Blase, senior executive vice president, Human Resources for AT&T. "With more than 300,000 employees, we are ready to motivate students and show them what a dynamic and diverse workplace is all about." AT&T will work with Junior Achievement to administer and execute the effort. Junior Achievement is a recognized leader in job shadowing and a key member of the National Job Shadow Coalition, which also includes the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor and America's Promise Alliance. The AT&T program is the largest-ever corporate job shadowing initiative Junior Achievement has undertaken. Job shadowing is a proven way to improve high school success. According to Junior Achievement, 79 percent of students participating in job shadowing report that the program increased their desire to stay in school. "We are thrilled that AT&T is joining forces with Junior Achievement to address one of the biggest challenges facing our young people and the businesses for whom they would work - lack of work-readiness skills," said Jack Kosakowski, executive vice president and chief operating officer of JA Worldwide and president of Junior Achievement USA. "This partnership makes the critical connection between classroom lessons and the world of work so that students enter the workforce ready to contribute and succeed." AT&T's two major unions, the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, are supporting the job shadowing initiative. 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