Posted on November 6, 2006

print  e-mail

Gates Foundation's Director of Education Initiatives Announces Departure

Tom Vander Ark, executive director for education initiatives at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will step down from his position by the end of the year, the Seattle Times reports.

Although he will stay on temporarily with the foundation as a senior fellow, speaking and writing about its experiences with education reform and contributing to U.S. program strategy, Vander Ark plans to eventually leave the foundation. After January 1, Allan Golston, the foundation's president of U.S. programs, will serve as interim education director until a new director is found. In a written statement, Golston and foundation CEO Patty Stonesifer said Vander Ark had encouraged the foundation "to be bold with our objectives and goals and never relent from our obligation to young people."

Over his seven-year tenure, Vander Ark has brought attention to what he called an "under-appreciated problem" — improving American high schools and preparing students for college. During that time, the foundation has awarded $3 billion in grants in the area of education, half in scholarships and half to 1,800 schools nationwide to improve high school graduation rates. At times, however, Vander Ark's criticism of schools' performance was harsh. Last year, the foundation renewed fewer than half the school district grants that were part of its first round of education giving in 2000.

"I don't think anybody ought to run a big grant program forever," said Vander Ark, who served as superintendent of the Federal Way (WA) Public Schools system before joining the foundation and more recently was one of five finalists to head the Los Angeles Unified School District. "You start to lose touch with the field, and you confuse grantee interest with acceptance of your ideas."

Heim, Kristi. “Gates Foundation Official Leaving.” Seattle Times 11/03/06.

Primary Subject: Education
Secondary Subject(s): Elementary and Secondary Education

FC009697