Educators Train To Identify At-Risk Students And Enlist Partners To Help
COLUMBUS — November 17, 2008 — Members and leaders of the Ohio Education Association are hoping to share with participants at a statewide drop-out prevention summit what works and doesn’t work when it comes to helping students to stay in school. The summit, Supporting Student Success, sponsored by the Ohio State Board of Regents, will take place on Monday, November 17, 2008, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
“When thousands of Ohio’s young people drop out of high school, it’s more than a crisis, it’s a catastrophe,” said Patricia Frost-Brooks, president of the Ohio Education Association. “It’s important for other leaders in our community join forces with teachers and parents to help students find their way and to ensure our schools are places where every student can achieve.”
The Ohio Education Association is just one of many NEA affiliates participating in and helping shape 50 state drop-out prevention summits occurring across the country this year and in 2009.
NEA and its affiliates have developed a 12-point plan to address the nation’s drop-out crisis, which includes the following:
- Mandating high school graduation or equivalency as compulsory for everyone below the age of 21
- Establishing high school graduation centers for students 19–21 years old
- Ensuring students receive individual attention
- Expanding students’ graduation options through partnerships with community colleges in career and technical fields and with alternative schools
- Increasing career education and workforce readiness programs
- Acting early so students do not drop out
- Involving families in students’ learning at school and at home in new and creative ways so that all families can support their children’s academic achievement
- Monitoring students’ academic progress in school through a variety of measures during the school year
- Gathering accurate data for key student groups and adopting the standardized reporting method developed by the National Governors Association
- Involving the entire community in dropout prevention
- Ensuring educators have the training and resources they need to prevent students from dropping out
- Making high school graduation a federal priority.
Join the conversation @OhioEA and Like Us at OhioEducationAssociation
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The Ohio Education Association (ohea.org) represents 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.
CONTACT: Michele Prater
614-227-3071; cell 614-378-0469, praterm@ohea.org
