AMERICAN

GRADUATE

The vast majority of students expect to earn a high school diploma.

In fact, 92% have the expectation of graduation but, for many of these students, the reality is much different.

Every year, more than 1 million students drop out of high school. [1]

Students have the will to graduate, but they do not always have the necessary support or resources.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), in partnership with America's Promise Alliance and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen — an initiative to help combat the dropout crisis in this country.

Local public radio and television stations, located in 20 impacted "hub markets" where the dropout crisis is most acute, are at the core of the American Graduate initiative.

These stations have the capacity to convene community stakeholders to raise awareness of, and bring attention to, the issue. They will also work directly with students, parents, teachers, mentors, volunteers and leaders to develop strategies tailored to local conditions to lower the dropout rate in their respective communities. Stations will create content that addresses the issue and create community-based projects that make school more personalized and relevant for students, engage parents, and develop and support effective teachers.

[1] Civic Enterprises, specifically On Track for Success: The Use of Early Warning Indicator and Intervention Systems to Build a Grad Nation, November 2011.