3/1/2011
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, joined by West Virginia Schools Superintendent Jorea Marple and Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Brian Noland, announced today that school dropout prevention tools will soon arrive at every school in West Virginia. The tools, designed by the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, are funded by Verizon Wireless.
“If West Virginia is to move forward, our youth must graduate from high school and be ready to either enter college or enter the work force as knowledgeable and skillful workers,” Gov. Tomblin said. “The first step toward this goal is making sure our youth remain on course to high school graduation. With tools provided to our teachers through the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation and funded by a generous donation from Verizon Wireless, we are working toward achieving that first step.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, dropping out of high school leads to a number of negative outcomes. As compared to high school graduates, Center statistics show dropouts are more likely to:
- earn $630,000 less over a lifetime;
- be unemployment;
- be in poor health;
- have a higher rate of criminal activity; and
- have a higher reliance on welfare.
While West Virginia has fewer students drop out of high school than the national average, researchers recently reported they can predict as early as the sixth grade which students are likely to leave school without a diploma.
Gov. Tomblin introduced legislation, Senate Bill 228 and House Bill 2739, which, if passed, will support local solutions to the dropout problem in West Virginia. The governor’s legislation along with the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation’s tools, such as the InsideOut documentary and Choice Bus, are designed to impact the high school dropout rate. The Choice Bus is a converted vehicle that is part classroom and part prison cell.
“Keeping students on a path to graduation takes a community effort and each one of us must be prepared to take accountability,” said Superintendent Marple. “The West Virginia Department of Education continues to support several dropout prevention strategies and initiatives which go well beyond the school system. I challenge everyone to ask themselves, ‘What is my role in supporting good kids who can do great things?’ ”
“Recent reports indicate that of 100 ninth graders, only 17 will graduate from college,” Chancellor Noland said. “To address leaks in the educational pipeline, we need to intervene while our students are young and instill in them the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to compete in the global economy.”
A $20,000 donation from Verizon Wireless will enable tool kits, each including a Teacher’s Guide, student pledge card, and the 26-minute documentary which tells firsthand stories from high school dropouts, to be sent to every school in West Virginia. A copy of the Community Pledge and the “I promise” pledge posters are available for schools, parents and the community to download at http://www.governor.wv.gov/pages/posterdownload.aspx
The Choice Bus will be at Horace Mann Middle School tomorrow, Wednesday, March 2nd, for students to experience.
Contact Information
Jacqueline Proctor
304-558-2000