I am delighted to welcome you to this summit, in partnership with Jefferson County School Superintendent Sheldon Berman.
I want to thank to America’s Promise for sponsoring this summit. Thanks to the CE&S Foundation and AT&T Kentucky – especially Joan Coleman -- for their support. Thanks to Bellarmine University for hosting us. And thanks to everyone who has worked on the preparation … including nearly 100 young people who shared thoughts in focus groups…and helped create materials we will use today.
I am delighted to see in the audience today … not only JCPS staff members….but also many other people whose day jobs are not in our schools … from legislators…to businesspeople... to neighborhood leaders.
I am delighted…
….Because today we talk about a topic that is taboo in many circles in our community.
We love to boast about our National Merit Semifinalists.
We love to honor our kids with perfect attendance and outstanding community service.
We love to cheer our students on athletic fields.
But what about the 1 in 4 who don’t graduate in 4 years? What about the young people… with high absentee rates… who begin to lag behind long before the 9th grade…who may live in a different Louisville…a Louisville where a high school degree looks … optional? The quiet girls who somehow slip away…mentioning personal and family problems? The unruly boys…who sleep in class…don’t fit in…and don’t finish? “School seemed pointless,” one told us. Only 1 in 3 dropout believed that “my community treats young people like they are important to the future.”
Those were some of the patterns that emerged as organizers of this summit prepared to make today as productive as possible – They found the roots of teach years before high school…that clear trouble signs emerge in lower grades.
Our goal today: to come up with a new action plan – with some ambitious goals that Dr. Berman will outline in just a few minutes.
We know there is no one easy solution. But we can work together today in a new spirit of collaboration … to take advantage of existing programs and existing strengths – and look in a focused way in four areas.
We will hear from Dr. Berman first. As many of you know, he heads a system in the midst of dynamic change… from a new student assignment plan…to a new math-science initiative…to increased focus on character development. JCPS has programs that reach out to students at risk of dropping out…like LEEP with its mentors and its no-expulsions policy that comes with an array of alternative schools.
Then our keynote speaker will be Bob Wise, who is indeed wise about this issue, serving as president of the Alliance for Excellent Education.
The four breakout sessions focus on 4 tracks:
· First, innovations in high schools.
· Second, support for students outside of school.
· Third, policy issues that might help students stay on track.
· And fourth, life readiness and education beyond high school.
We’ll wrap up the day with folks from each of those tracks sharing their conclusions with the entire group.
We all have a stake in those solutions. One in 4 is too many.
The bottom line: No high school diploma spells limited opportunities for those young people and the families they are likely to have. It adds up to a workforce that does not have the skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. It translates to fewer Louisville residents able and eager to take their place as well-informed, engaged citizens in the years ahead.
As some of you may know…today’s summit is part of a larger continuing effort …called Graduate Greater Louisville …that aims to boost educational attainment across the board. A high school diploma is the key starting point.
I know we can meet this challenge.
Dr. Berman…