Local Summit Gives Teens Options

On Thursday, January 28, the New Orleans Kids Partnership, in collaboration with United Way, hosted a “Solutions Summit” to address local high school dropout and graduation rates.

The 2010 Solutions Summit engaged local high school students in conversations about career paths, post-secondary educational opportunities, and the path to graduation. The event, held at Tulane University’s Lavin-Bernick Center, featured over 200 adults from the local workforce. These speakers shared their career stories, educational experiences and more with over 400 high school freshmen and juniors in this local version of a high school dropout summit.

Roughly a third of Louisiana’s high school students drop out or otherwise don't graduate. That figure is down since 1996, when 46 percent didn't graduate. The Summit’s intention was to provide high school students with the information and resources to carve a path towards their academic and vocational futures.

Partners behind the Summit include: America’s Promise Alliance, Tulane University’s Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives, City Year, New Orleans Kids Partnership, Operation Reach, Inc., HandsON New Orleans, Urban League of Greater New Orleans, and United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area.