DATE: February 12
CONTACT: Dr. Cary Goodman
(212) 362-4020
TIME: 11:00 am
PLACE: City Hall
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DROPOUT SUMMIT SET FOR NYC
(NYC) - A coalition of elected officials, civic leaders, educators and union heads will hold a DROPOUT SUMMIT, at Baruch College, February 23.
There are more than 140,000 dropouts and near dropouts in New York City. The dropout epidemic is a problem of the „highest priority‰ for New Yorkers.
In a report to be released at the press conference, the Community Service Society found that the dropout epidemic is a higher priority for New Yorkers than terrorism, hunger, crime and illegal immigration. According to the study, conducted for the Society by Lake Research Partners, New Yorkers, whether wealthy or poor, cared deeply about the dropout issue.City residents overwhelmingly favor more money to give high school dropouts, „a second chance.‰
(copies of the report will be available at the press conference).
Participants in the Summit include:
Government officials
- Dennis Walcott, Deputy Mayor
- Speaker Christine Quinn, City Council
- Chairman Charles Rangel, House Ways and Means Committee
- Councilman Robert Jackson, Education Committee Chair
Educators
- Jonathan Kozol. National Book Award Winner
- President Augusta Kappner, Bank Street College
- President Kathleen Waldron, Baruch College
- Dr. Pedro Noguera, NYU
- Xuesong Shen, United Nations
Union Leaders
- Randi Weingarten, UFT
- Ernest Logan, Council of Supervisors and Administrators
The DROPOUT SUMMIT will signal the start of a citywide dropout prevention campaign.followed by City Council hearings in the spring and budget negotiations this summer.
The SUMMIT is being convened by the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus of the City Council and Directions for our Youth in partnership with United Way of New York City and Directions for Our Youth, a dropout prevention agent. The National Dropout Prevention Center is serving as the consultant for the SUMMIT.
Schedule, participants, panels and research online at
www.dfoy.org
