What are your hopes for education in America?
Dec 17, 2012 | Our Perspectives Archive
Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley was so impressed by a Washington, D.C., public boarding school for disadvantaged youth that sends graduates to universities such as Princeton, he invited the founders to build a similar school in Baltimore. That was 10 years ago when he was serving as mayor.
Today, The SEED School in Baltimore serves more than 300 students from every county in Maryland. While state taxpayers invested a great deal in this school, it would not exist without substantial contributions from private donors.
The SEED School is one example of what private/public partnerships are achieving around the nation. It also demonstrates what Maryland has accomplished after two decades of sustained effort and experimentation based on the philosophy that “one size does not fit all.” Education Week, the nation’s leading education newspaper, has declared the Maryland school system number one in America every year for the past four years.
Many people are passionate about improving education across the United States. As the Maryland story shows, both experienced and emerging philanthropists can increase the impact of their giving by connecting and collaborating with key policymakers, officials, innovators and philanthropists who are critical to education reform on the local, state and national levels.
That is why J.P. Morgan has been convening a series of education philanthropy gatherings around the country. It was at the recent J.P. Morgan Forum on Education in Maryland that Governor O’Malley, state education officials, SEED
co-founder Eric Adler and several prominent education philanthropists shared their “lessons learned” with local philanthropists who were interested in discovering how they might work, individually and in collaboration with others, to help transform education in America.
We at J.P. Morgan are honored to help emerging and experienced philanthropists make important connections that can dramatically increase the impact of their giving. We invite you to contact us and a J.P. Morgan representative will be in touch with you.