Encouraging 'Links to Success'

South Carolina's dismal high school graduation rate, lowest in the nation, casts an ominous cloud over our state's future. A long-term, collaborative effort by both the public and private sectors will be required to solve this long-term problem. A new program called Links to Success, combining the resources of the Trident United Way with the expertise of assorted agencies and nonprofit organizations, holds the promise of delivering that necessary team effort.

As reported in Wednesday's Post and Courier, community and government leaders - and ordinary citizens - in our state and community increasingly recognize that persisting high level of non-graduates in our community and state is an intolerable burden. Thus, Links to Success will aim toward saving "at-risk students in low-income schools" from joining the growing dropout rolls.

The $573,600 program will begin this fall at nine area schools, serving approximately 35 students each at five schools in Charleston County, three in Berkeley County and one in Dorchester County.

The plan is to closely follow children's academic and behavioral performances - and to take necessary remedial action, including after-school programs, "life skills" instruction and mentoring, before struggling students slip away from the system. The program's initial focus on elementary and middle schools stems from the common-sense understanding that the sooner the positive intervention for such students, the better the chances for positive results.

Jane Riley, executive director for Communities In Schools in the Charleston Area, told our reporter that Links to Success should maximize the impact of the Trident United Way's contribution, explaining: "Having one entity that can serve as the coordinator is really important so that there's no duplication of services."

Certainly Links to Success will perform an invaluable service if it can reverse the debilitating trend of nearly half our state's students - and in Charleston County, more than half - failing to graduate from high school.

In a modern era that demands a highly skilled labor force, that widespread lack of education invariably will produce a widespread lack of good jobs.