College & Workforce Readiness Photos

857 Empty Desks

By Nicole Frugé — June 21, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Lisseth Mejia, left, and Manaye Felleke discuss a public installation of 857 empty school desks, representing the number of students nationwide who are dropping out every hour of every school day, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 20. "Is this really true," asked Ms. Mejia. "The dropout rate is really shocking."
Much like a classroom, some of the desks are covered in graffiti.
Louisa Mancey engages with the installation as her friend Alicia Hope, not shown, takes a photo. Ms. Hope saw the desks on television and wanted to see them for herself. "It's a good cause," she said. "People don't realize how much dropouts can contribute to society. It's a waste."
Young men wait to for trucks to arrive, so they can begin removing the desks from the National Mall.
The sun sets on the installation.
Aaron Bland takes a break on one of the 857 empty school desks.
Omarae Pena dismantles the installation.

A public installation of 857 empty school desks, representing the number of students nationwide who are dropping out every hour of every school day. The display was set up on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 20. The College Board, which puts out the SAT and other standardized tests, says it’s launching a national grassroots effort, beginning with this installation, to tell the candidates vying for the White House, “Don’t Forget Ed.”

Related Tags:

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by Pearson
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Recalibrating PLCs for Student Growth in the New Year
Get advice from K-12 leaders on resetting your PLCs for spring by utilizing winter assessment data and aligning PLC work with MTSS cycles.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Spotlight Spotlight on Empowering Students For College and the Workforce
This Spotlight will help you discover approaches schools throughout the country use to expose students to career and technical pathways.
College & Workforce Readiness Families Can Now Use College-Savings Plans for More Services
Families can now use 529 plans to pay for a broader array of K-12 expenses and career-prep programs.
3 min read
Image of  piggy bank and coins sitting on a book.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness How One School Turned Career Training Into a Turnaround Strategy
This high school was once slated for state takeover. Career pathways helped turn it around.
9 min read
Principal Pierre Orbe interacts with students during summer internship programs at DeWitt Clinton High School on July 14, 2025 in New York City.
Principal Pierre Orbe interacts with students during summer internship programs at DeWitt Clinton High School on July 14, 2025, in New York City. The school prioritizes career pathways, which have helped boost the graduation and attendance rates.
Mostafa Bassim for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness These High School Graduates Earned a Diploma—and a $74,000 Teaching Contract
This district's 'grow-your-own' program includes an extra incentive: a generous starting salary for graduates who come back to teach.
6 min read
Leonellys Rodriguez, a graduate of University High School in Newark, N.J., and recipient of a conditional teaching job offer from the Newark Public School District, poses with Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton on June 24, 2025.
Leonellys Rodriguez, a graduate of University High School in Newark, N.J., and recipient of a conditional teaching job offer from the Newark Public School District, poses with Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton on June 24, 2025. The district's grow-your-own, dual-enrollment partnership will bring high-achieving students back to the district as teachers.
Courtesy of Newark Public School District