OPPORTUNITY NATION WEEK OF ACTION (OCT. 8TH-15TH) - Fewer Americans are likely to earn a high school diploma than their parents, a distinction not shared by any other industrialized country. We know that when students drop out of school, communities suffer. About one quarter of all students – one million students a year, 3,000 a day – fail to graduate on time. It’s no wonder that our trust in the power of the American Dream is wavering.
As we’ve learned by listening to people in communities across the country, the American Dream is alive and well. The educational challenge facing the kids and youth of America may indeed seem overwhelming at times, yet here is what we heard: “people are willing to do whatever it takes to set students up for success”.
This is why United Way is committed to recruiting one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors to help close the graduation gap. Volunteer readers, tutors or mentors have the power to help students who may otherwise fall through the cracks without a positive influence throughout their K-12 education.
This is also why we’re joining the Opportunity Nation Week of Action – Oct. 8th-15th – and its efforts to repair the ladder of opportunity and jumpstart the American Dream. Together with Opportunity Nation, we share the belief that our kids and youth are vital to boosting our economy and creating more opportunity in our communities. As a reader, tutor or mentor you can make your mark, and help the next generation of Americans LIVE UNITED and be all that they can be. To learn more about the Opportunity Nation Week of Action, visit the Shared Plan to Connect More Young Adults to School and Careers and take the pledge to become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor.