No books. No air conditioning in the summer and no heat in the winter. Teachers spend time "teaching to the test" by rote and little or no time instructing students on how to think critically and creatively. Students learn the school discipline code of conduct – and penalties for infraction – before they learn their ABC's. Students are disposed of through high–stakes testing and zero tolerance discipline practices – often railroaded into the juvenile justice system. Graduation rates from high school are low, particularly in the South. Students who do not go on to college are forced into low–wage jobs because they lack the basic skills in reading, math, and writing to compete for higher–paying careers. This is the state of public education for many children of color in America

Advancement Project's 10–year goal for our Opportunity to Learn program is to reverse this trend in five locations thereby increasing the number of students of color who are eligible to attend four–year colleges/universities, and ultimately stimulating a national commitment to achieve the same percentage increase nationwide. We will accomplish this goal through our Quality Education for All Project by working in partnership with community–based organizations that serve multi–racial communities in school districts where graduation rates of low and education advocacy is underway.