Powell dedicated a significant portion of his Northeastern address to education and youth development, reflecting his work founding America's Promise Alliance at the request of President Clinton. He cited alarming statistics: almost a third of American kids were not graduating high school, and 50% of minority kids were dropping out. Rather than blaming schools and teachers, Powell traced education to its earliest origins — the biological bonding between mother and child. He argued that if a child is not read to, doesn't learn colors and numbers in those early years, they will be behind by first grade, and if the gap isn't closed by third grade, that child is statistically on a path to dropping out or going to jail. His message was that education is everyone's responsibility, beginning long before a child ever enters a classroom.