PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Nov. 4, 2006 – Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) issued the following statement today upon the announced departure of Tom Vander Ark as executive director for education of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

“Tom Vander Ark is a giant in American education – the rare combination of a man of vision with the resources to match. He has been a leading thinker and actor in national education reform, and he has controlled the purse strings for the Gates Foundation on education initiatives.

“Tom Vander Ark has led efforts to transform the lives of millions of young people while dispensing billions of dollars. Tom and I have worked together on shaping education initiatives in Congress, especially college readiness programs such as GEAR UP, which I developed and guided to enactment. 

“Tom has spearheaded the Gates Foundation’s ‘early college’ initiative. Based on his research and efforts, students at high schools across the country, including Lamberton High School in Philadelphia, have been able to take courses for up to two years of college credit while still enrolled in secondary school. 

“I commend Tom Vander Ark for his brilliant leadership and wish him well in future educational endeavors. I look forward to continuing our partnership as well as working with his successor at the Gates Foundation.” 

(GEAR UP is Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, the nation’s largest pre-college awareness program. It has contributed nearly $2 billion toward the educational advancement of low-income students since its enactment in 1998.)