An Investment in Golden Apple is an Investment in the Future of Illinois Children
We thank our many generous donors for their contributions over the years - financial support that directly funds our Golden Apple mission and ultimately invests in and helps shape education and the education experience. With your help we are able to continue to transform teachers and teaching throughout Illinois.
“Studies show that student performance depends on putting high-quality teachers in the classroom and retaining them as long as possible…. Unfortunately, our most disadvantaged communities, the ones most troubled by high dropout rates, have difficulty attracting and keeping qualified teachers.”
-Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman,
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Teacher quality and classroom practice clearly affect student achievement. The impact can equal or even exceed student socio-economic status. Many successful public figures point to teachers as primary sources of inspiration and motivation. Yet the harsh reality is that there are not enough well-qualified teachers to serve all students. In Illinois, 44 percent of new teachers leave their initial school within two years. Sixty-seven percent change schools or move on within five years. Excluding retirements, teacher attrition costs the State of Illinois an estimated $224 million annually.
Some 2,800 schools in Illinois qualify as “schools of need” because of their high concentration of students from low-income families. The number of students living in low-income households exceeds one million. Only about 77 percent of Illinois public high school students graduate, and a startlingly low 54 percent of students entering Chicago public high schools as freshmen earn diplomas four years later.
Inadequate education limits individual opportunity. Workers 18 and older with less than a high school diploma earn 67 percent of what high school graduates earn and 37 percent of what college graduates bring home. Just one recent year of high school dropouts could cost the State of Illinois more than $10 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity over their lifetimes.
Education’s economic impact will become increasingly pronounced. Employers must grapple with a retiring baby boom generation and related skills shortage. Ongoing globalization and continuing advances in technology require a more knowledgeable work force.
According to the Chairman of the Federal Reserve System’s Board of Governors, education is the best investment for those interested in the economy and in excellent return.
For those interested in improving teaching and learning throughout Illinois, Golden Apple is the best investment in education.
To learn more about how your support of Golden Apple helps shape the future of the Illinois educational experience, please watch this brief video.
Children from poverty, in schools with limited resources, are most likely to go without quality educators.
Watch where your donation goes:
If you are interested in supporting Golden Apple financially or otherwise, please contact
