A National Conference hosted by Jobs for the Future
Washington, DC
October 4-5, 2007
More than 500 leaders, including representatives from the education, policymaking, funding, and business communities, joined together for Double the Numbers 2007. With participants coming from 41 states, as well as broad involvement from the local and national levels, this Jobs for the Future conference focused attention on the need to increase the number of low-income and minority youth who graduate from high school, are college ready, and gain a college degree or a postsecondary credential.
DTN07 asked the nation to take on the urgent goal of doubling the number of low-income students who earn postsecondary credentials. To do so, though, requires a dramatic increase in both high school and postsecondary completion rates. Over two days, the participants in DTN07 examined promising practices and policies designed to achieve those goals.
Plenary speakers included the Honorable Roy Romer, Chairman, Strong American Schools and former Governor of Colorado; the Honorable Mike Easley, Governor, North Carolina; and the Honorable Edward Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. From the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the conference sponsors, plenary speakers included Vicki L. Phillips, Director, Education, and Hilary Pennington, Director, U.S. Special Initiatives. Among the other plenary speakers were Thomas Glynn, COO, Partners HealthCare; Andreas Schleicher, head of the Indicators and Analysis Division, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development; Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, the Courtney Sale Ross University Professor of Globalization and Education, New York University; Bob Schwartz, Academic Dean and William Henry Bloomberg Professor of Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Carol R. Johnson, superintendent, Boston Public Schools and former superintendent, Memphis City Schools and Minneapolis Public Schools; and Lynn Olson, Managing Editor Special Projects, Education Week. In addition, the 24 working sessions featured over 50 practitioners, policymakers, public officials, and advocates.
The conference addressed four strategies for improving high school graduation rates and promoting postsecondary attainment:
- Creating multiple pathways that enable all students, including struggling students and out-of-school youth, to graduate high school prepared for college and work;
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Improving student transitions from high school to college, by incorporating college-level learning experiences into the high school years;
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Improving college completion rates, by restructuring developmental course sequences, building more bridges between K-12 and postsecondary education, and upgrading student supports;and
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Increasing postsecondary success for historically underserved groups through more strategic management of institutional spending and investment in expanded capacity and improved student learning.
DTN07 built on a 2003 conference, also organized by JFF, that first convened practitioners and policymakers from across K-12 and higher education under the idea of “doubling the numbers” of college graduates. Double the Numbers was a compelling idea in 2003, but it was little more than that. Since then, though, the idea of a measurable, achievable goal—along with commitments to getting there—has emerged in surprising places, including numerical goals set by governors, state postsecondary systems, and local K-12 education agencies. In addition, schools, school districts, states, the federal government, postsecondary systems, and nonprofit organizations have developed promising practices and policies.
We know more than ever before about the nature of the challenge—and ways that policy and practice can address the nation’s greatest educational needs. DTN07 provided concrete and powerful tools and knowledge to motivate and drive improved outcomes.
At DTN07, JFF released Minding the Gap: Why Integrating High School with College Makes Sense and How to Do It. Also during DTN07, the Alliance for Excellent Education held a complementary convening, From No Child Left Behind to Every Child a Graduate. At that high school policy conference, members of Congress and staff vowed that high schools would be included in NCLB reauthorization.
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Double the Numbers 2007–DTN07: Diplomas, Degrees, and Credentials for Underrepresented Youth 
