Thirty NINE years of mobilizing community

In 1983, the Reagan Administration published “A Nation At Risk: The Imperative For Education Reform” which asserted American schools were failing to meet the need for a competitive workforce. The report spurred action by local, state and federal governments and industry to reform the educational system.

In Oregon, a group of high technology leaders banded together to start the Business Education Compact (BEC) in 1984 to bring business community together to help train teachers, provide internships, and channel more resources to the education system. The BEC drew the support of Oregon’s leading high technology companies such as Tektronix, Intel, IBM and others to train teachers, advocate for proficiency-based teaching and learning, and give students valuable work experiences in STEM fields.

Now, a new fact has our attention. Oregon has the third worst graduation rate in the country with 7,600 students being forced out of our high schools each year. These are students who are historically underserved in our society and are struggling with issues of race, poverty and other burdens that prevent them from exploring their potential. If this continues, our society is at risk of disenfranchising a whole segment of the population that has ability to contribute to our strengths as a nation.

BEC becomes In4All

In 2017, our board of directors and staff had grown increasingly concerned about the number of students dropping out of high school without a plan for their lives. So we embarked on a journey to re-envision the impact we could make in the community.

We decided to sharpen our focus to engage students who have been historically underserved in creating a future of limitless possibilities. We hired a new executive director, reshaped the organization, created a three-year strategic plan, and crafted a new vision and mission. The final step in the process was to change our name from BEC to In4All to symbolize our commitment to all students in Oregon.

Today, we still believe business and education leaders have a shared responsibility to provide an equitable experience for all students. But we now need to intensify our focus on students who have been historically underserved to make equity a reality. After all, #WeAreIn4All