The sponsor’s role: fund the HSe4Metrics platform
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.
Only one sponsor is needed.
A federal agency as the sponsor
An immediate reason for every federal agency to conduct sponsorship due diligence and seriously contemplate sponsorship is the nation’s NAEP results.
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.
The Department of Labor (DOL) is a textbook example. It 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 with the education needed 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 starting 10 to 15 years before high school graduation.
Alternatively, despite decades of abject failure by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to elevate the nation’s K–12 performance—evidenced by 50% of U.S. students unable to read or write at basic proficiency—Congress could simply rewrite the DOE’s founding legislation. Such reform would make K–12 student performance the DOE’s central focus, jettison all non-core operations, and place the Secretary of Education under a rigorously enforced performance contract (see U.S. Department of Education link).
A corporate sponsorship
Every giant corporation has reasons to stay relevant—and to sponsor the nationwide platform Hse4Metrics.com (As an aside: the platform’s HSe4Metrics name is merely a temporary placeholder, so use your imagination.)
And keep an open mind: if sponsorship cost seems prohibitive, that should be no obstacle to creative thinking—simply ask a federal agency to form a public–private partnership and provide 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 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 surprised many of his CEO peers, who are more comfortable at $30 million. Dimon urged major corporations to follow his 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 eventual bankruptcy.
Click Proctor & Gamble (P&G) to consider how a corporate sponsor scenario might unfold.
Proprietary protections for the sponsor
Click Funding (By the Sponsor) to view the subtopic on proprietary protections for the sponsor.
The platform name HSe4Metrics is temporary.
The final name will be selected by the platform’s sponsor.
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