State to host summit on reducing dropout rates

South Carolina plans to join a national dropout prevention campaign and host its first-ever summit focused on reducing dropouts and increasing on-time graduation rates.

More than 600 people are expected to attend the day-long meeting in Columbia on Dec. 2. The summit marks the launch of "Graduation Matters — South Carolina's Dropout Prevention Initiative," sponsored by the state Department of Education in partnership with America's Promise, AT&T, State Farm Insurance and the Governor's Office.

The meeting is part of a nationwide effort to increase awareness, stimulate discussion about the dropout problem, encourage collaboration and find solutions. America's Promise Alliance plans to support 100 summits in every state and 50 cities by 2010.

"We believe this meeting will act as the catalyst for regional grassroots efforts to address our dropout problems," State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said in a statement.

The entire state is affected by the 8,100 students who drop out every school year, Rex said, and the state needs help from everyone, including businesses, faith-based organizations, governments, higher education institutions, parents and students.

The state asked school districts to send teams of students, parents, staff members and middle/high school staff who work on dropout prevention strategies. The summit will give participants suggestions for getting accurate numbers for students' dropping out and graduating, establishing early warning systems to identify potential dropouts and helping struggling students meet high expectations.

Statewide, about 9.5 percent of juniors and seniors drop out every year. The state-reported graduation rate is 73.3 percent, and most Lowcountry school districts are within a few percentage points of the state average.

Lowcountry school districts have put a priority on increasing their graduation rates, and many community agencies work with schools on this problem.

Jane Riley, executive director of Communities in Schools, a nonprofit dropout prevention organization that helps Charleston schools, plans to attend the summit. She said the meeting could lead to stronger collaboration and more people working on this issue.

"I think any time we bring new, interested partners into the topic of improving our graduation rate in South Carolina, it's tremendous," she said. "It's just one more way of raising that awareness and having people understand that we all need to be working on this together. It affects all of us when we are losing children before they complete high school."

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.