Summit Focuses On Reducing Student Dropout Rate

With nearly one in three high school students nationwide dropping out before graduating, the Florida Department of Education will be holding a two-day summit this month to develop plans to reduce the nation's high school dropout rate and better prepare students for college, work and life.

The meeting, to be held Jan.12-13 in Clearwater, will bring governmental leaders, business owners, child advocates, school administrators, community-based organizations, students and parents together to outline clear steps to help increase student achievement and graduation rates.

Florida's graduation rate for 2007-08 was 75.4 percent. The Highlands County graduation rate was 71.2.

"We all know that high school graduation is a key indicator of future success for our young people and our nation, so it is startling to learn that every 26 seconds a student drops out of school," said Alma J. Powell, chairwoman of America's Promise Alliance.

This is why on April 1 the alliance launched a massive two-year effort to mobilize 100 dropout prevention leadership summits across the country, she said.

Over the past three years, Florida has experienced a decline in its dropout rate from 3.5 percent in 2005-06 to 2.6 percent in 2007-08.

Highlands County's drop out rate fell from 5.7 percent to 4.2 percent in the past three years.

The main goals of the summit are to increase public awareness on student dropout issues, and to identify existing, and encourage further collaborative efforts between the corporate, private, public and school sectors in promoting student achievement and graduation.