Applied demonstrates its belief in the promise of high-quality education for all San Jose students through its continued engagement with ACE Charter School and Downtown College Prep, both of which have reported impressive results in the last five years. ACE recruits Latino middle school students in California who are well below grade level in math and English language arts. In June 2016, ACE held the inaugural graduation of ACE Charter High School and reported a 90% graduation rate, with 94% of graduates matriculating to two- or four-year colleges (50% and 44%, respectively). Downtown College Prep, where 90% of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged, reported an 84% four- year college admission rate for graduating seniors6 , as well as forward movement in its plans for growth, securing a 50-year lease for a new site scheduled to open in fall 2016. With funding from Applied and others, Teach for America Bay Area and City Year San José/Silicon Valley collectively placed 245 AmeriCorps members in San Jose schools in the 2015-16 school year, with the goal of improving scholastic achievement through in-school academic support and interventions. Applied also maintained its longtime commitment to Breakthrough Silicon Valley (BSV), a six-year program that prepares motivated middle school students with limited educational opportunities to enter and succeed in four-year colleges. As of June 2016, 100% of BSV’s 199 high school participants were enrolled in college prep courses and 92% of the organization’s 41 June graduates will be attending four-year colleges and universities in the fall. Funding for TechBridge and Society of Women Engineers Santa Clara Valley provides young female students with the opportunity to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), a field in which women, especially minorities, are heavily underrepresented. Central Texas In 2004, Applied expanded the Education Initiative to two districts in Central Texas: Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) and Manor Independent School District (Manor ISD). In Central Texas, Applied remains focused on improving educational outcomes for low-income populations and geographies. In Austin ISD, Applied joined collaborative efforts to catalyze change in the highest need schools of North and East Austin. By joining E3 Alliance, a regional, research-based education collaborative, Applied became early funders of RAISEup Texas, an initiative to increase student achievement in middle schools through teacher instructional development and student engagement efforts. Recent reports show double-digit gains in student state standardized test passing rates in just one year of implementing the initiative. Applied also works with Austin Partners in Education (APIE) to increase the percentage of college-ready students in Austin high schools. According to the Texas Education Agency, only 42% of low-income Austin ISD 2013 graduates met Texas Success Initiative standards for college readiness, and often, students who fail to meet this standard are required to take costly developmental courses before embarking on a post-secondary degree plan. APIE offers in- class tutoring, small group learning sessions and help in reading, writing and math to ensure that more students graduate ready to move directly into college. With the understanding that school districts operate with unique challenges and opportunities, Applied’s strategy in Manor ISD is to make grants in support of the district’s commitment to project-based learning (PBL). Manor New Tech High School, which opened in 2007, has graduated close to 500 students with an average 99% graduation rate compared to the state average of 88%. With the success of Manor New Tech, Applied has 6 http://dcp.org/en/key-performance-indicators/ 5 | Applied Materials Education Initiative