College Summit Peer Leaders and alumni join 150 developers, nonprofits, technologists, and education stakeholders onsite at Facebook’s Menlo Park, CA campus working collaboratively on Apps.
Launching today at Facebook headquarters with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, College Summit and the King Center Charter School will kick off the “College Knowledge Challenge,” a competitive funding initiative that will award approximately 30 grants to the best Facebook applications for helping students get to and succeed in college.
A $2.5 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds the College Knowledge Challenge competition to attract the best app developers to create free or low-cost web and smartphone applications that help students, parents, and educators in low-income communities navigate the college-going process.
“College Summit has been working with students and school leaders for almost 20 years,” said J.B. Schramm, Founder and CEO of College Summit. “The College Knowledge Challenge is an opportunity to apply educational insight with cutting edge, social media technology to create new ways to help students reach their college and career goals.”
Students from College Summit Northern California partner high schools and college students who are alumni of the program will be advising these developers during the competition. Speakers will include Schramm and Keith Frome, College Summit co-founder and Founding Head of Middle School at the King Center Charter School.
“First generation and low-income families typically do not have access to the information, coaching, and support needed to navigate the college-going process,” said Frome. “A platform of electronic tools dedicated to confronting and solving the obstacles to postsecondary navigation and success is an exciting potential opportunity for all students, regardless of their economic circumstances.”
Read press release: here
More about College Knowledge Challenge: here
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