In an effort to boost the number of Americans with high school diplomas and share best practices, America’s Promise Alliance will hold 100 Grad Nation community summits over the next four years.
The announcement this month included confirmed sites for some of the 2013 gatherings: Birmingham, Ala.; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; Providence, R.I.; Toledo, Ohio; and Tucson, Ariz. Fifteen events are scheduled for this year.
The meetings follow a series of 105 dropout-prevention summits led by America’s Promise between 2008 and 2010.
The Grad Nation campaign was launched in 2010 with a goal of achieving a 90 percent graduation rate nationwide by 2020, with no high school graduating less than 80 percent of its students, and regaining the position as first in the world in college completion. Partners in the campaign are America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, and the Alliance for Excellent Education, among others.
The Grad Nation summits will charge local leaders with developing a multiyear action plan and measures to hold themselves accountable for progress.
