At the June 17, 1987 sixth-grade graduation ceremony at Belmont Elementary, in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia, philanthropists George and Diane Weiss promised each student a fully paid college education to the institution of their choice upon the students' graduation from high school. The Gift of Education describes this chance-of-a-lifetime gift and the pressure to use it. It details and analyzes the experiences of twelve students from the original class--six who graduated from high school and completed some postsecondary education and six who did not finish high school. Their stories illustrate how children, when properly challenged and supported, can succeed, that philanthropy alone cannot address the severe conditions that millions of poor children experience daily, and that government investment in inner-city education and communities has been woefully inadequate.