Press Release - Dropout Summit
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OFFICE OF GOVERNOR BILL RITTER, JR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, FEB. 13, 2009
CONTACTS:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.870, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
Wil Alston, 303.917.8059, wil.alston@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER VISITS LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL IN SUPPORT OF DROPOUT PREVENTION EFFORTS
Gov. Bill Ritter visited Lincoln High School in Denver today to take part in two critical events in support of dropout prevention.
During the first event, Gov. Ritter thanked the AT&T Foundation for contributing $500,000 toward dropout prevention efforts in Denver Public Schools. The Governor, joined by Colorado Department of Education Commissioner Dwight Jones, then took part in Colorado's second statewide Dropout Prevention Summit.
Click here to listen to or download Gov. Ritter's remarks during the Dropout Summit.
"When I took office, I put a stake in the ground and firmly committed to cutting the dropout rate in half in 10 years," Gov. Ritter said. "The generous donation and commitment from the AT&T Foundation along with the work and ideas generated from today's dropout summit are both key to helping achieve that goal."
The gift from the AT&T Foundation will be a multi-year grant ($400,000) to Denver Kids, Inc. (DKI) to fund DPS high school retention. DKI provides long-term preventative counseling to DPS students who are identified as being at-risk and needing extra support. The Denver Scholarship Foundation will receive $100,000 to support the AT&T Future Center at Lincoln High School. The Future Center is one of 10 such centers located in DPS and is sponsored by the Denver Scholarship Foundation.
The Colorado Dropout Prevention Summit gave participants in the Statewide Dripout Initiative, an association of six school districts, researchers from Johns Hopkins University, and local non-profit organizations, an opportunity to discuss their successes and consider broader policy options.