Say Yes to Education initiative

By Quang Nguyen




This past week, SU alumnus and U.S. Vice President went to Syracuse for a meeting on the Say Yes to Education initiative. The program is the White House’s effort to reform the current education system. The program hopes to increase the graduation rates of students both in high schools and colleges. According to Biden, it is important for parents and teachers to expect more from kids. Along with Vice President Biden, the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan estimates that the drop out rate every year is as high as 30 percent.

The first step of the Say Yes to Education initiative has been implementing in Syracuse. Many different organizations has donated money in order to improve the current education system. For instant, the Community Foundation donated as much as $1,000,000 to support the Say Yes to Education within the Syracuse Demonstration Program. In addition, the contributions to the Say Yes to Education Fund announced that it would match the amount of donation that the Community Foundation pledged.

Secretary of Education Duncan said that this program is the collaboration between the government, the school district, and middle class family that would only bring benefits. He really believes that Syracuse would be the lesson for the rest of the U.S. to look at and improve their graduation rates. Furthermore, the program is proved successful and has been implemented in other areas of the country such as Harlem, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

References:

http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2009/09/10/News/Biden.Ties.Education.Reform.To.Say.Yes.Initiative-3767735.shtml

http://www.cnycf.org/cnycf/SayYestoEducation/tabid/161/Default.aspx

http://news10now.com/content/top_stories/481961/say-yes-to-education/?RegionCookie=1013&ap=1&MP4