funded the expansion of PBL into two elementary schools and one middle school. The school district is creating an entire pathway of PBL schools that encourage students to collaborate, communicate and develop critical-thinking skills. As it does in San Jose, Applied promotes both in-school and out-of-school efforts to narrow the academic achievement gap. Applied was a founding sponsor of Breakthrough Austin, supporting the organization’s expansion throughout Austin ISD and Manor ISD. The organization currently serves 1,250 students annually. The on-time graduation rate of Breakthrough Austin students is 100% compared to a rate of 78% among their peers, and the organization averages a 92% direct-to-college enrollment. This success persists beyond the high school years with Breakthrough Austin students four times more likely to go on to earn a college degree than their peers. Applied pursues similar outcomes through its work with College Forward, which strives to increase college enrollment and persistence of students through personalized, near-peer coaching and a strong support network. To date, College Forward students in Texas are five times more likely to earn a college degree than 7 their peers. In Central Texas, Applied also funds efforts to introduce young women to STEM. Programs, including GirlStart, strive to increase girls’ engagement in STEM careers by offering a range of workshops, mentorships, camps and after-school programs designed to promote early engagement, academic success and persistence in the STEM workforce. In 2015, Girlstart's programs reached 23,172 girls, educators and community members, 97% of whom 8 participated at no cost. Other U.S. Cities In addition to its grantmaking efforts in Silicon Valley and Central Texas, Applied supports a variety of education-focused organizations serving other North American geographies where our employees live and work. In Gloucester, Massachusetts, Applied has funded Gloucester Education Foundation (GEF)’s efforts to bolster support for innovative education programs. In 2015, discouraged by the low number of girls continuing to pursue STEM-related subjects beyond middle school, GEF launched a comprehensive study of factors impacting the number of female students exiting the STEM education pipeline at Gloucester High School. Specific recommendations from the study will guide the high school’s course selection and programming in an effort to close the gender gap in STEM education in the years to come. Supporting the development of new teachers has also been a well-documented pain-point for districts across the nation. The New Teacher Center (NTC) seeks to address this challenge by accelerating the effectiveness of new teachers, experienced teachers and school leaders. Applied has funded NTC teacher professional development efforts in San Jose, CA; Portland, OR; and Kalispell, MT. NTC’s programming in these regions has resulted in more effective classrooms, increased student academic performance and cost savings for the districts. An independent evaluation of NTC’s work found that after just one year, students of NTC-supported teachers gained 2 to 3.5 months of additional learning in reading compared to non-NTC supported teachers. The study also found that NTC-supported teachers in the study return to the district at a higher rate (86%) than traditionally district-supported teachers 9 (80%). 7 www.collegeforward.org 8 http://www.girlstart.org/about-us/by-the-numbers 9 https://newteachercenter.org/blog/2016/08/10/new-i3-research-shows-student-achievement-gains-continue-with-ntc- support/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=33258363&_hsenc=p2ANqtz- 9PqYH9Q_wkQbww6gGBzExhMBK1tGjOxck6sJ4Xm-BBWwgNBocpIFNxdzqfADjA_MrDuZ-FYDG4pAsDlc8pep2Z2pvTJw&_hsmi=33258363 6 | Applied Materials Education Initiative