Sponsor
Only one sponsor is needed
We call on leading corporations and every federal agency to conduct due diligence and sponsor the free-access HSe4Metrics platform—a societal innovation and true U.S. force multiplier.
A federal agency as the sponsor
High-risk, high-impact innovation. The federal government routinely funds high-risk, high-impact innovation (DARPA, NIH, the space program, semiconductor research, etc.).
Broadly speaking, the leadership of every federal agency holds an obligation to support U.S. K–12 students in excelling on both NAEP assessments (reading, writing, math, and core subjects) and other critical performance metrics.
An immediate reason for every federal agency to conduct HSe4Metrics platform sponsorship due diligence is the nation’s NAEP results.
A textbook example is the Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL may recognize that unleashing nationwide K–12 student performance would tap into the vast reservoir of the sidelined demographic—those currently destined to languish at the bottom of NAEP assessments.
Logically, rescuing that cohort could hypothetically double the number of students graduating prepared to become trainable employees—or to pursue higher education and other opportunities.
A proactive DOL may also understand that the free-access HSe4Metrics platform should be made available as early as possible in a young person’s life—ideally 15 to 16 years before high school graduation.
Immediately. After decades of failure by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to elevate national K–12 student performance—evidenced by roughly 50% of U.S. students failing to reach minimum NAEP proficiency in core subjects such as reading, writing, and math—Congress could put the nation on a different path: beginning with a simple rewrite of the DOE’s founding legislation.
The mission. Make K–12 student performance the department’s central—if not singular—mission. Fully separate non-mission-core functions. Hold the Secretary of Education accountable under a rigorously enforced K–12 performance contract (see U.S. Department of Education link).
Sponsorship flexibility: Although a relegislated U.S. Department of Education may be the most logical agency to house the HSe4Metrics platform, funding could come from another federal agency—such as the Department of Labor or the Space Administration.
A publicly traded, socially conscious corporation could serve as a strategic partner.
A major corporation as the sponsor
Differentiation. Perhaps think of a sponsorship of the HSe4Metrics platform as a path to brand differentiation to an extent not possible any other way.
Every giant corporation has reasons to stay relevant—and strong reasons to sponsor the nationwide HSe4Metrics platform. (As an aside: the platform’s HSe4Metrics name is merely a temporary placeholder and could be of strategic branding interest to a corporate sponsor.)
Too expensive to do this alone? Share the cost. If sponsorship cost seems prohibitive, it should not be an obstacle to creative thinking—engage a federal agency to form a public–private partnership and share the funding. Moreover, with or without such a partnership, the sponsorship cost may be insignificant relative to the potential enhancements in key corporate metrics, including free cash flow, brand equity strength, and sustained shareholder value creation.
Together, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations, high-profile sponsorship visibility, the transformation of tens of millions upon tens of millions of students’ lives, expanded market share, and improved margins for the sponsoring corporation offer potential value to shareholders that may be unmatched.
In a letter to JPMorgan shareholders, CEO Jamie Dimon highlighted a $30 billion commitment to a JPMorgan initiative aimed at advancing societal good—a figure that likely stunned many of his CEO peers, who are more comfortable operating at levels an order of magnitude lower. Dimon urged major corporations to follow his societal innovation lead, while also cautioning that the outcome of true innovation is inherently uncertain.
Dimon did not mention Xerox, but the cautionary tale is worth recalling (see the Jamie Dimon link). On the desk of Xerox’s CEO once sat an industry-changing innovation—complete with patents and a working prototype. Yet rather than take the leadership risk to implement it, Xerox passed. The company fell from market dominance into decline and ultimately into bankruptcy.
Click Procter & Gamble (P&G) to explore how a corporate sponsorship scenario might unfold.
Click the + to see more and the — to see less.
If a presentation team is needed, a $5 fundraising campaign is possible
For example, if a presentation team is unable to work pro bono, but submits a cost schedule to assist in securing a sponsor, HSe4Metrics could launch a temporary fundraising campaign to retain the team.
Once the presentation team has completed its job and a sponsor is secured, the temporary fundraising campaign would end.
Sponsorship considerations for a government agency
Step one: Relegislate the U.S. Department of Education’s founding framework (see U.S. Department of Education link) to make K–12 student performance the central mission.
Step two: Provide funding—including support for innovation due diligence, implementation, testing, and ongoing operations.
Sponsorship considerations for a publicly traded corporation
A corporation’s sponsorship decision may ultimately come down to a cost–benefit analysis.
In evaluating whether to sponsor the HSe4Metrics innovation platform, potential sponsors will consider several key factors: the cost of sponsorship, the platform’s K–12 mission, its contribution to the public good, the corporation’s responsibility to its shareholders, and the potential benefits the sponsorship may deliver to those shareholders.
Every Fortune 500 company—or any leading publicly traded corporation—should step up, regardless of innovation uncertainty, to conduct due diligence and consider funding the free-access K–12 student performance platform, even though the platform itself has no direct financial engine.
Certainly, every mega-cap corporation valued in the hundreds of billions should be eager to conduct due diligence and consider sponsorship. Even the slightest uptick in national goodwill and demonstrated societal responsibility could more than offset the sponsorship costs, given the potential for unparalleled public awareness, respect, and loyalty—and, for shareholders, the resulting impact on market share, margins, and long-term performance.
Tax status. The conversion of HSe4Metrics into a 501(c)(3) private foundation—currently being handled pro bono by one of the nation’s top 100 law firms—has not yet been finalized. While this designation may be irrelevant to a government sponsor, it could serve as a motivating factor for a corporate sponsor.
PROPRIETARY PROTECTIONS FOR THE SPONSOR
For a sponsoring corporation, HSe4Metrics maintains a strict nondisclosure policy covering the platform’s innovations, including its design and operation. In this context, protecting the sponsor also serves to safeguard the interests of the nation and its K–12 students.
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