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
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI in Schools: What 1,000 Districts Reveal About Readiness and Risk
Move beyond “ban vs. embrace” with real-world AI data and practical guidance for a balanced, responsible district policy.
Content provided by Securly
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
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
K-12 Lens 2026: What New Staffing Data Reveals About District Operations
Explore national survey findings and hear how districts are navigating staffing changes that affect daily operations, workload, and planning.
Content provided by Frontline Education
Education Funding Webinar Congress Approved Next Year’s Federal School Funding. What’s Next?
Congress passed the budget, but uncertainty remains. Experts explain what districts should expect from federal education policy next.

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 College and Career Readiness
Schools are blending career and technical education, internships, and AI skills to prepare students for college, careers, and beyond.
College & Workforce Readiness What SEL Skills Do High School Graduates Need Most? Report Lists Top Picks
A review of "portrait of a graduate" documents from hundreds of districts identified key skills.
5 min read
Two young people standing in speech bubbles and shaking hands. Meeting an make deals online. Concept of partnership, business acquisition, deals, cooperation, teamwork. SEL communication skills.
Education Week + Anton Vierietin/iStock
College & Workforce Readiness Teens Are Using AI to Research Colleges. Is That a Good Thing?
A new survey examines the growth of students using the technology to research postsecondary options.
4 min read
Illustration of "The Thinker" sitting on an AI bubble with symbols of a briefcase and a graduation cap.
Getty and Canva
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Nonprofit Launches New Career-Readiness Effort, Looks Beyond the 'Linear Path'
Digital Promise has launched an initiative to help create career pathways for students.
4 min read
Abou Sow, the owner of Prince Abou's Butchery in Queens, shows students from George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School how to separate short rib from rib eye at Essex Kitchen in New York, May 21, 2024.
Digital Promise has a new initiative to identify barriers, design solutions, and scale practices around learner-centered career pathways. Abou Sow, the owner of Prince Abou's Butchery in Queens, shows students from George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School how to separate short rib from rib eye at Essex Kitchen in New York, on May 21, 2024.
James Pollard/AP