First Lady Laura Bush Addresses the National Dropout Crisis as Keynote Speaker at the Communities In Schools National Conference
Hyatt Regency Atlanta, November 1, 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. EST
Alexandria, VA - Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, is proud to announce the appearance of Mrs. Laura Bush as the keynote speaker during the opening luncheon of the group’s national convention in Atlanta. The national conference, themed “Leadership for Change: A Nation Without Dropouts,” is expected to draw nearly 1,000 attendees from the education, corporate, public policy, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.
“We are delighted to have Mrs. Bush championing the cause to keep students in school,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president, Communities In Schools, Inc. “The door to change for our nation’s schools and children is within our reach, and with continued support from our national leaders the next generation can look forward to fulfilling and sustaining the rich and abundant life that they deserve.”
During the conference, Mrs. Bush and other noted experts will discuss the nation’s alarmingly high dropout rate – one in three Americans fails to graduate high school – and the critical actions that must be taken to curb this trend.
When children complete high school, and go on to pursue fulfilling lives, they, as well as society as a whole, inure substantial benefits. According to a report released by the Alliance for Excellent Education, nearly 1.2 million students who should have graduated in 2006, but failed to leave school on time with a regular diploma, have a projected cost to the nation of more than $312 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over their lifetimes. Such trends are reversible but only when student support systems are integrated and aligned with school reform strategies.
Communities In Schools is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, working in more than 3,400 K-12 public schools. Founded in 1977, Communities In Schools is headquartered in Alexandria, Va. Today, 1.2 million young people annually receive direct services through more than 200 Communities In Schools local affiliates in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Between 80-90 percent of Communities In Schools’ tracked students show improvement in academic achievement, attendance, behavior and promotion to the next grade level. Visit our website at www.CommunitiesInSchools.org.
Contact: Debbie Veney Robinson, CIS National Office, 703-518-2545, RobinsonD@CISNet.org or Tomeka Rawlings, CIS National Office, 703-518-2589, RawlingsT@CISNet.org