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Simon Youth FoundationEducation Resource CentersEvery 29 seconds, another U.S. student gives up on school. That's 124 students every hour; 2,979 every day; and more than one million every year. In total, almost one-third of all public high school students – and nearly one half of all blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans – fail to graduate from high school. SYF's alternative schools have proven to be an effective solution with a national graduation rate of 89 percent. By graduating from high school, students not only turn their lives around, but provide a much improved landscape for the economy and all U.S. citizens. When youth don't graduate from high school, the impact is felt by the individual, their communities, states and the nation. All U.S. citizens – those with children and without – are affected by high dropout rates. "The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts," documents the impact of dropouts on the economy. The study found that dropouts are more likely than their peers to be unemployed, living in poverty, receiving public assistance, in prison, on death row, unhealthy, divorced, and single parents. Dropouts are twice as likely as high school graduates to slip into poverty from one year to the next, three times more likely than a college graduate to be unemployed, and, on average, earn $9,200 less per year than high school graduates. The lifetime cost to the country for each youth who drops out of school and later moves into a life of crime and drugs ranges from $1.7 to $2.3 million. The government would also see a $45 billion boost from tax revenue and reduced costs for public health, crime and welfare if the number of dropouts were cut in half. Other studies corroborate these findings. According to a report titled "On the Social Costs of Dropping Out of School," "each year's class of dropouts will cost the country over $200 billion during their lifetimes, in lost earnings and unrealized tax revenue." ERCs have proven to be an effective solution for students who have dropped out or are on the verge of quitting school. Attendees often include teen parents, those who progress at a different pace, have a problem with high student-teacher ratios, safety issues, social interaction problems, or a problem with the atmosphere at their school. Nationwide, ERCs have a national graduation rate of 89 percent, which is remarkable given the population served is entirely composed of at-risk students. Today, 4,271 formerly at-risk students have earned a diploma at an ERC. In 2005, a study of the ERC program was conducted by the Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP). The study's purpose was to determine how effective ERCs are at helping at-risk youth earn their diplomas. At the conclusion, the results were overwhelmingly positive, showing that the program is having a major impact on the communities in which ERCs are located. The evaluation revealed that SYF's schools have a very positive relationship among administrators, superintendents, and principals in the partner school districts. One administrator said, "The ERC has been a godsend to our district." Another said that the ERC vision to "not simply create a place to put a bad kid from another school, but to create a place to reach out to students," was shared by the public schools as well. The director of CEEP and lead researcher for the study, Dr. Jonathan Plucker, stated, "At a time when many people are clamoring for high school reform, SYF is actually doing something about it." SYF has invested more than $6 million in the construction of ERCs, $4.4 million in post-secondary scholarships and funds to enhance, improve and maintain ERCs and provide opportunities for staff and students over the past 10 years. From a letter sent to SYF from the Education Commission of the States: "On behalf of the Education Commission of the States (ECS) and our Chair, Kansas Governor Kathleen Seblius, it is with great pleasure that I inform you that Simon Youth Foundation has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 ECS Corporate Award… The ECS Corporate Award was created in 2000 under the leadership of ECS Chair Governor Jim Geringer of Wyoming. Each year ECS recognizes a for-profit company, nonprofit organization or a foundation that has demonstrated a sustained commitment to improve public education in the United States. The ECS Steering Committee believes that the Simon Youth Foundation has been a vital contributor to education by improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged at-risk students in partnership with public school districts around the country…ECS recognizes the initiative taken by Simon Youth Foundation in remedying the dropout problem by creating the Education Resource Centers (ERCs)." >>See All Corporate Citizenship Profiles |
Snapshot Education Resource Centers and scholarships Barbara Richardson, Simon Youth Foundation, brichardson@simon.com |
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