Phoenix Task Force Tackles Dropout Problem

July 1, 2002

The Graduate Phoenix Task Force has laid out five categories of recommendations on how the city of Phoenix can partner with community groups, businesses and other agencies to help schools reduce the dropout rate among Phoenix teens. The Phoenix City Council unanimously accepted the group's recommendations to:

· adopt a strategic vision for youth, with measurable goals and benchmarks, that becomes the framework for city service delivery to young people
· market and promote programs and services already available in the community that are effective strategies for dropout prevention and recovery
· develop a coordinated effort to maximize the $60 million the city spends annually on youth services and programs
· pursue public and private funds to help schools become more like community centers
· support federal and state legislation to keep students in school

The city of Phoenix formed the task force in January 2002 to explore ways to support the educational system in preventing dropouts and recovering youth who have left the school system. The task force engaged city staff, residents, education professionals and public policy leaders to focus on the problem and come up with recommendations to improve Arizona's statistics. The group examined current programs sponsored by the city, the community and schools; juvenile justice issues; national, state and local trends; and the even lower rate of graduation for Latino students.

Greg Stanton, District 6 city councilman, and Raul Cardenas Jr., Arizona State University professor, co-chaired the task force, which included a mix of representation from businesses, the education community, nonprofit groups and various government agencies.

"Reducing the dropout rate is essential for the future well being of our community," said Stanton. "If we are going to achieve the high quality of life we all want, we must have an educated workforce. If we don't solve this issue, all of the other economic development activities that we are working on are for naught."

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, fewer students in Arizona finish high school than in any other state. From October 1998 to October 2000, fewer than 75 percent of Arizonans 18 to 24 years old had completed high school or earned an equivalent credential; down 10 percentage points from a decade ago. The national average is 86.5 percent as of October 2000.

For more information or to request a copy of the final report, call the Phoenix Youth and Education Office at 602-525-0314/voice or 602-534-5500/TTY.

Media Contact:

Christiana Ferris	602-262-6169
Deborah Dillon	602-525-0488