Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr Priscilla Chan are teaming up with non-profit College Board to help get millions of more students into college. The couple’s charity, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) will donate an undisclosed amount to the organisation that handles many standardised tests for college preparation and admission such as the SAT and AP exams.
CZI president Jim Shelton said the partnership will “dramatically expand access to unique, personalised learning opportunities” and help millions of students from low-income and rural communities across the US better prepare for college. These include personalised SAT practice through Khan Academy and peer advising through the National College Advising Corps. “These resources have demonstrated the ability to help students improve their test scores and identify a program that best fits their needs and passions”, Shelton wrote in a blog post.
The partnership will also include scientists Angela Duckworth and Greg Walton who will “explore the factors contributing most to students’ practice, overall effort and progress toward post-secondary success.” “For many high school students across the country, the path to college isn’t fair,” Chan wrote in a Facebook post. “Too many students don’t have access to the kinds of tutoring and prep courses that can help them get ready for the SAT. “We want every student, regardless of economic background, to have the resources and tools they need to succeed on the SAT and identify a post-secondary program that fits their needs and passions.”
Launched in December 2015, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was created by Zuckerberg and Chan shortly after the birth of their daughter Max. The couple pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares during their lifetimes to “advance human potential and promote equality”. In September 2016, they announced a $3bn (£2.31bn) investment in medical research over the next decade to cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century.
