Home   |  Partners



Knocking Down Walls: Why the Mott Foundation Supports Breaking Through
By Jack A. Litzenberg
Senior Program Officer, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has a longstanding commitment to innovative strategies that help low-skilled adults achieve economic success. I am confident that Breaking Through will contribute substantially to that mission.

While institutional change is hard and slow, our funding is designed to expand the efforts of institutions that already are developing or implementing innovative practices and are displaying a commitment to creating accelerated pathways to advancement for low-skilled adults. Several different models, generated by the community colleges themselves, will be tested and evaluated in Breaking Through. The demonstration is designed to help “knock down the walls” between basic, developmental, occupational/technical, and academic education in community colleges.

Breaking Through offers the opportunity of lifelong education for many people previously shut out from pursuing a certification or degree. We hope to generate a real buzz in the community college world about strategies that effectively engage low-skilled adults in these institutions. I am excited about, and committed to, this initiative and look forward to working with Jobs for the Future, the National Council for Workforce Education, and the community colleges to help it succeed.