Yes To Success is part of American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America address the dropout crisis.

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The key to reaching dreams and succeeding in life starts with staying in school.  Today, students face many challenges that can make it difficult to stay in school and earn their high school diplomas.  Students say that some of those challenges include pressure from friends urging them to leave school, the temptation to start working and making money, difficulties at home that make it difficult to get to school or to study, being bullied in school, finding classes uninteresting and trouble understanding English or making up low test scores.  According to the Gallup Student Poll, 2010, 92% of students believe they will graduate from high school, but only 7 out of 10 do graduate (U.S. Department of Education, 2008) with fewer than 6 out of 10 African-American, Hispanic, Native American, low-income and urban students graduating (Education Week, Diplomas Count, 2010).

There are many good reasons to “drop in, rather than drop out.”  Here are just a few from http://www.nystayinschool.com.  At this website, sponsored by the NY Association of School Psychologists, there is a lot of information about why it’s important to stay in school, quizzes to take to see if you know the facts about dropping out and much more.

• Graduating from high school makes for a better life in the future.  High school graduates earn $143 more per week than high school dropouts.  College graduates earn $479 more per week than high school dropouts.
• Those without high school diplomas are four times as likely to be unemployed.
• The frustrations of not being able to make a good living can lead people down paths to disaster.  For example, 82% of those in American prisons are high school dropouts.

Those are just some reasons.  For more, click on the videos below.  People of all ages talked to us about their experiences and why students should stay in school.  Some of these people have dropped out, thought about dropping out but stayed strong or watched others drop out.  See what they have to say.

Jaquar Sampson - Watch Video - Jaquar Sampson, a “Say Yes to Education Scholar” discusses why he felt the need to graduate high school and not follow into the footsteps of people he knew that were dropping out of school. He tells us why his dreams are still attainable only because he has a high school diploma.

Youth Impact Program - Watch Video -  This spot takes a look at a summer youth football camp for middle school boys run by Syracuse University football players; however, this is more than just boys playing football. Along with learning the x’s and o’s on the field, these middle school students learn life skills that will stay with them forever. As one middle school student puts it “You learn how to be a man”.

Deka Dancil - Watch Video - Deka Dancil is a “Say Yes to Education Scholar” who overcame tremendous adversity to finish high school. She tells us that some people use excuses to dropout of high school but her herself and her friends faced many of these same problems and they were able to finish high school. Though it wasn’t easy, Deka knows how important graduating high school is to her future.

Collins Barber Shop - Watch Video - For over 41 years Collins Barber Shop has been a staple in the Syracuse Community. Carlton Collins Jr. has been making sure kids who come into his barber shop know how important a high school education is. Carlton and his family get so excited about a younger Collins graduating high school that they put a photo of the graduating senior on their barber shop wall.

Join the Yes To Success discussion on Twitter by using hashtag #YESTOSUCCESS

The community, including parents, teachers, neighbors and community groups, want to help students stay in school.  But the most important people to help students stay in school are – students.  Students can draw on the wonderful talents and strengths they have to promise themselves that they are going to stay in school. 

WCNY is asking students to take the Yes to Success Pledge.  Any student is welcome to take the pledge but we are focusing special attention on middle school students in the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) to help them promise to stay in school before they even get to high school.  It is in middle school that students start wondering if staying in school is worth it…and WCNY says “YES!” and hopes students will say YES! too.  The pledge is really a promise that each student makes to himself or herself to stay in school because having a high school education is an important step to helping make dreams come true, including the dream for a successful life.

Want to know more about the pledge?  How you can take the pledge?  This video is sponsored in part by The Prevention Network.

Would you like to take the pledge?  All you have to do is download the pledge form, read it, sign it and keep it somewhere where you can see it every day to remind you of your promise to yourself.

Download Pledge Form (PDF)

It has been said it takes a village to raise a child, and part of raising children is to help ensure they receive a good education.  Students have the will to graduate from high school but face a variety of barriers that stand in the way of achieving academic success.  Many high schools across the nation are seeing a dip in their graduation rates.  Urban districts in particular, like the SCSD, are struggling to find ways to stem the tide of students opting to drop out of school.  The average SCSD high school graduation rate is 45%.  As a community we all need to support America’s children, America’s future.

On September 22, 2011 WCNY aired a one-half hour Yes to Success television special, videotaped at Clary Middle School in front of an audience of SCSD middle schoolers, that featured host Akua Goodrich moderating a panel of students and educators, including the SCSD’s new superintendent, Sharon Contreras, discussing ways for all of us to help students stay in school.  

Following the broadcast, additional guests joined the panel to answer questions from the student audience.

GET INVOLVED – TODAY!

There is no doubt that parents have the most immediate impact on their children’s academic success.  The National PTA website (http://www.pta.org/ ) states that research has shown “that regardless of income or background, when parents are involved, students are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, graduate, and go on to postsecondary education.”  But parents often face their own challenges and need the community to add its support for their children. The following list is a sample of organizations that not only offer services to students but also ways that members of the community can become involved in helping students stay in school.

• 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc.
  The100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc. is committed to the intellectual development of youth and the economic empowerment of the African-American community based upon the following precepts: Respect for Family, Spirituality, Justice and Integrity.  The100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc. seeks to serve as a beacon of leadership by utilizing our diverse talents to create an environment where our children are motivated to achieve and to empower our people to become self-sufficient shareholders in the economic and social fabric of the communities we serve.  The organization is working within schools, including Fowler High School, and welcomes new volunteers.  Contact them at: 443-8749 or visit their website for more information at: http://www.100blackmensyr.org/

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of P.E.A.C.E., Inc.
  In Central New York, P.E.A.C.E., Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters has been matching children with mentors since 1980.  If you'd like to know more about mentoring in one of their programs, call 470-3369 or email bbbs@peace-caa.org.

• HillsideWork-Scholarship Connection
  Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection is a nationally-recognized youth development program helping at-risk youth stay in school and graduate from high school with the skills and confidence necessary to enter college or the workforce.  On average, Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection students graduate high school at twice the rate of their peers and between 70 and 80 percent of these graduates attend college. http://www.hillside.com/ServicesDetail.aspx?id=830

• Liberty Partnership Programs (LPP)
  The LPP is a joint effort among the NYS Dept. of
  Education, two and four year colleges and universities, local school districts, SAY YES and community organizations and businesses.  Founded in 1988, the Onondaga Community College (OCC)  Liberty Partnerships Program is one of 40 in NYS designed to help students graduate from high school and go on to post-secondary education or meaningful employment.  OCC's program serves students in grade 9-12 at Corcoran and Fowler High Schools in the Syracuse City School District.  In 1989, the LPP program at LeMoyne College was launched, providing year-round support to students at Nottingham and Henniger High Schools.  Both programs offer extensive services including: tutoring, academic and career counseling, job shadows and internships, academic and personal skill workshops, workforce preparation activities, field trips to colleges and businesses coupled with college counseling, scholarship opportunities, personal counseling, post-graduate follow-up, summer activities and parent activities.  LPP staff monitor student performance and attendance to ensure all requirements are met for graduation.  Students in grades 9-12 are eligible, and may be referred to the program by parents, teachers, counselors, school administrators or themselves.  For information about the OCC LPP call 435-6558; for information about the LeMoyne College LPP call 445-4584 or email to ramseymd@lemoyne.edu or clarkmp@lemoyne.edu.                                 The LPP program in conjunction with Syracuse University is aimed at middle-school students.          

• OnPoint for College
  For more than 10 years, On Point for College has helped over 2000 first-generation youth to get into college, stay there, and succeed afterwards. We help students find financial aid, fill out the forms, and get the resources to survive and succeed. We drive them to colleges, visit them to help them stay on track, and go to their graduations. And since 2008, we've helped them get jobs afterward.  Over 160 volunteers help the organization reach out to students and help them succeed.  For more information call 362-5003 or visit their website at: http://www.onpointforcollege.org

• Say Yes to Education
  Say Yes to Education, Inc. (Say Yes) is a national, non-profit education foundation committed to dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates for our nation's urban youth. Say Yes provides comprehensive supports, including the promise of free college tuition to one of nearly 100 colleges and universities for those who meet residency, graduation and admission requirements, aligned with what research indicates is needed to enable every child in the program to achieve his or her potential. Although there are Say Yes chapters located in Cambridge, MA; Hartford, CT; New York City, NY, and Philadelphia, PA., the Syracuse chapter is unique in that it is the first Say Yes chapter to embrace an entire city school district, making it the largest school improvement program of its kind in the nation!

  The Say Yes supports begin when a child enters kindergarten and continue through high school and beyond. The range of services Say Yes offers across its Chapters include everything from after-school and summer programming, mentoring, tutoring, and school-day academic support to family outreach, scholarships, and social work/ psychological services. Additionally, Say Yes partners provide high-quality health care and legal assistance. For more information about the organization, its services and volunteer opportunities visit their website at: http://www.sayyessyracuse.org/

• SCSD Mentoring Program
  One of the most important ways the community can help students stay in school is through volunteer services as a mentor.  The SCSD Mentoring program’s goal is to provide an adult mentor for every student in the SCSD beginning in 6^th grade.  The mission of the free mentoring program is to foster meaningful adult relationships with students and to provide students with one-on-one academic, social, and emotional support that will positively impact and enrich the lives of students.  Mentors, acting as advisors, help students set both academic and life goals and provide students with glimpses into career choices through real life experiences.  Mentors show that someone in the community cares.  Studies show that students benefit from mentoring relationships in many ways including improvement in attitude towards school, better school attendance and the establishment of more confident and healthy relationships with adults and peers.  Students associated with mentors are less likely to engage in alcohol or drug abuse and more likely to set goals and strive toward higher goals.  More information about becoming a SCSD volunteer mentor, or to enroll a student in the program, call 435-4655 or email to anathoth@hotmail.com or nubiantonja@hotmail.com.

• SyracuseBoys & Girls Club
  For more information regarding club locations and volunteer opportunities call 472-6714 or visit their website at http://www.bgcsyracuse.org/

A Selected List of Resources for Parents and the Community Prepared by Peg Elliott, Librarian, Onondaga County Public Library.  DOWNLOAD PDF

Additional Internet Links to Helpful Information

NY Stay in School : Offers helpful information, statistics, quizzes and more regarding the need for New York State students to stay in school
http://www.nystayinschool.com/

Teachersandfamilies.com: A Staying In School Guide to Keeping Students Actively Engaged in School
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/open/parent/engage1.cfm