MEA Votes

Hundreds of people have testified at MEA-sponsored public hearings about the dropout crisis. They've shared many good ideas as well as specific examples of effective programs that target at-risk students.

We've heard about dozens of exciting programs that help students stay in school or reengage students who've dropped out.

Part of the problem is that some programs are fairly isolated. People don't always know they exist. At the community level, we need to build good programs into a tightly knit network that doesn't allow kids to fall through the cracks.

At the Dropout Prevention Leadership Summit in Lansing Oct. 20, that kind of community action will be encouraged and developed.

Lawmakers can help local efforts by providing more tools and resources to help educators, parents, students and other community members grapple with this problem.

The dropout hearings have made one thing clear: we all have a job to do to solve the dropout crisis.

What can you do to help?

Karen Schulz
MEA