The Cristo Rey Network will receive a $6 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its efforts to 23 schools serving about 10,000 students in some of the nation's poorest urban areas.

This investment will support upcoming new school openings and fund a network-wide professional development program to assist staff in meeting their students' needs, the Network reported Nov. 1.

Cristo Rey schools, including Verbum Dei High School in Watts, serve low-income and minority youth using a proven formula of rigorous coursework, an innovative work-study program and individualized support for all students. This Catholic college-prep education is designed to prepare all students --- particularly those who are economically disadvantaged --- to succeed in college and career. Admission is open to students of all faiths.

The Chicago-based Cristo Rey Network currently operates in 12 cities around the country and will expand in 2007 to include Baltimore, Birmingham, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Omaha and Washington, D.C. Locations for the next five schools in the network have yet to be determined.

According to the 2006 Diplomas Count report, about 3,000 kids drop out of high school every day, whereas at Cristo Rey schools the four-year dropout rate for the network's Class of 2006 was 2.6 percent. Network-wide, 99 percent of the graduating class of 2006 was admitted to a two- or four-year college and 95 percent enrolled this past fall.

"We continue to be humbled by the terrific growth and achievements of young people in our schools, and it remains our mission to see them achieve their fullest potential," said Jesuit Father John P. Foley, president of the Cristo Rey Network. "We are gratified to know that this investment will allow us to serve even more young people, so that they, too, can reap the benefits of this tremendous educational model."

The signature component of the Cristo Rey model is a work-study program in which all students are placed in entry-level jobs with local companies, including some of the nation's largest corporations such as Best Buy, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Deloitte & Touche, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Texas Instruments. The goal is to offer students "real world" experience, connect with professional role models, develop a strong work ethic, and pay for a significant portion of their tuition. All income earned on the job is disbursed directly to the school.

"All students, regardless of income or background, should have access to a high school education that truly can prepare them for success in college and in life," said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has previously invested $9.9 million in the school's network. To date, the foundation has invested more than $1 billion to expand educational options for high school students by supporting the creation of more than 1,600 high-quality high schools in 42 states and the District of Columbia.