The Access 2000 Chicago Partnership

Abstract

In January 1993, the Access 2000 Partnership received the prestigious Anderson Medal, awarded by the Business–Higher Education Forum of the American Council on Education. The Medal is awarded annually to an ‘exemplary three-way partnership of higher education, local business and public schools working together to improve the performance of American students’. In this article, against the background of the evolution of Access 2000, Eric Hamilton focuses on seven ways in which the business and education communities can cooperate effectively to enhance educational and work opportunities for American students. The benefits for both the business and education sectors are great, he argues, if priority is given to solving major social and economic problems, rather than simply to such short-term advantages as image-warming for industry or cash injections for education.