News & Updates
Public Service Announcements Airing Statewide
New public service announcements support emerging “Graduation Matters in Missouri ” campaign.
"Graduation Matters Week" Observed in Southwest Missouri
School districts across southwest Missouri joined together to designate the week of November 15-21 as "Graduation Matters Week."
"Vanessa's Story"
This 30-minute, award-winning documentary produced for the Kansas City Dropout Prevention Summit by the City Commissions Office focuses on the plight of Vanessa, a young Kansas City woman whose decision to drop out of high school has left her unprepared to compete in today's society.
Dropping Out Proves Costly for Students and Taxpayers
Dropping out of high school carries a heavy price not only for students, but also for taxpayers a new study shows.
Recorded Presentation Explores Service-Learning
As An Effective Dropout Prevention Strategy
Joan Liptrot, executive director of the Institute for Global Education and Service Learning (IGESL), presented a workshop at the Missouri Service-Learning Fall Conference held October 5-6. The facilitator helps participants explore the idea of service-learning as a dropout prevention strategy.
- Service-Learning Presentation (25-minute video)
Communities, State Adopt Rally Cry to Boost Student Graduation
“Graduation Matters in Missouri” is the new slogan, released at the 2009 Missouri Dropout Prevention Summit, to emphasize the importance of high school graduation at a time when the state’s dropout rate has been creeping upward.
Change to the Compulsory Attendance Age
Effective August 28, 2009, the compulsory attendance age is seventeen years of age or having successfully completed sixteen credits toward high school graduation.
Southwest Area School Districts Tackle Dropout Issue
Last spring, Carthage, Joplin, Carl Junction and Webb City school district superintendents began meeting to discuss their shared concern about the number of students in southwest Missouri who leave school without obtaining a high school diploma. They held a regional dropout prevention news conference, Aug. 13, to increase awareness of the issue and to begin the building of joint consensus that high school graduation matters to all communities in our state and nation. They had a tremendous turnout and media coverage.
- Southwest Missouri school districts discuss dropout rates (The Joplin Globe)
- Editorial: Turn slogan into reality (The Joplin Globe)
- Webb City School District opening day slides (pdf) shared with staff and community/parent guests
House Speaker Appoints Task Force on Dropout Prevention
Missouri House Speaker Ron Richard (R-Joplin) announced last month the creation of the Task Force on Dropout Prevention. The task force is charged with researching the state's dropout rate and finding solutions to decrease the number of Missouri kids that drop out of school.
Oklahoma Dropout Prevention Video on YouTube
OK Graduation: DO IT video highlights personal stories about how dropping out of high school alters one's life and how to correct it. This is an excellent video for all to see.
- Watch video (approx. 7.5 minutes)
