Who's Talking?

There is a serious conversation going on in the political, business and educational communities in Georgia over each group’s shared concerns regarding the state’s existing graduation and drop out rates. The economic impact these two rates have on the state’s economy, health care costs, and the criminal justice system are factors that make up part of the conversation. Increasing the workforce readiness skills of future employees and increasing the post-secondary enrollment rate are two more.

Parents, students and classroom teachers are expressing similar concerns.

The words might be different:

• Instruction in the classroom needs to be more challenging and relevant
• Students need to know an adult in the school cares about their needs
• Learning options need to be available

The concerns are the same.

The Georgia Graduation Stories blog will be a tool for entering into the heart of these conversations. With words, pictures, video and audio clips, we will report what we are hearing from those individuals and organizations for whom all these concerns are a daily reality.

To paraphrase the fictional Dr. Frasier Crane on his radio show:

We are listening…