Students at risk

States slimming down inmate meals

2009-06-05T10:03:00.002-05:00

As the Choice Bus continues to travel the US giving young people a hands on look at the benefits of having an education and the likely consequences of making the choice to drop out of school, this article is yet another stark reminder of the choices that are lost once a person ends up on the inside of a prison cell.

"The recession is hitting home for inmates, too: Some cash-strapped states are taking aim at prison menus.Georgia prisoners already didn't get lunch on the weekends, and the Department of Corrections recently eliminated the midday meal on Fridays, too. Ohio may drop weekend breakfasts and offer brunch instead. Other states are cutting back on milk and fresh fruit."

Read the article here.

The Choice to Stay in School

2009-05-19T09:52:00.002-05:00

Source: WMBF News

Story from Dillon, SC about a visit of The Choice Bus:

The Choice Bus is a half-prison, half-classroom mobile experience dedicated to reducing the dropout rate and the latest tool created by the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation.

Students at Dillon High School boarded the bus and watched the documentary, InsideOut. While watching, students heard from people in prison who encouraged youth to get an education because they learned the hard way what can happen when you drop out of school.

After the presentation, a life like jail cell was revealed. To make the consequences of dropping out of school more tangible, the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation built a life-sized replica of a prison cell on the bus. It included a toilet and a bunk.

"If we can just touch a couple of lives and save a couple of children from making bad choices or choice of not getting their education, then we've done our job," said Executive Director of the foundation, Phil Christian.

The Choice Bus first rolled out in September of 2008 and has already impacted more than 40,000 students across the country. More info about the Choice Bus can be found at the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation website: mattiecstewart.org.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley signs law raising state minimum drop out age to 17

2009-05-18T16:39:00.001-05:00

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has signed a new law raising the minimum age to drop out of high school in the state from 16 to 17. The law, which Riley signed today, requires that a student must attend an exit interview with a school administrator and a parent or guardian before dropping out.

Source: AL.COM

Alabama Legislature Approves Raising Dropout Age to 17

2009-05-15T16:26:00.002-05:00

Story from ABC 33/40:

On Friday, March 15, 2009, the Alabama Legislature decided to raise the school dropout age from 16 to 17 in a further attempt to keep students in school.

The Senate voted 21-0 Friday to approve minor changes that theHouse made in a school dropout bill sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. The bill now goes to Gov. Bob Riley. Press secretary Todd Stacy said the governor is generally supportive, but needs to study the bill before saying if he will sign it into law. Orr said allowing students to drop out at 16 almost guarantees them a life of poverty and struggle.

"We don't allow young people to drink until they are 21, and we don't allow them to vote until they are 18. But we've been allowing them to make one of the most important decisions of their lives at 16. By raising it one year, hopefully some maturity will come into play," Orr said.

See full story at link above.

Choice Bus visits Wayne County, NC

2009-05-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

Eighth-grade students at Dillard Middle School lined up to board a bus in the school parking lot Wednesday morning, unaware that within minutes their entire future would be questioned.

"Choice Bus," a modified school bus that is half classroom, half prison cell, is meant to illustrate what can happen to students if they drop out of school.

Created by the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, an Alabama-based nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing dropout rates, AT&T of North Carolina sponsored the bus that made two stops in Wayne County, including one at Brogden Middle School that afternoon.

Groups of students first viewed a short video featuring prisoners sharing their stories, most expressing regret over choices they had made that led to their incarceration. An announcer also quizzed the audience, revealing that 75 percent of prisoners are high school dropouts, while 81 percent of inmates can't read or write.

Full Story Here

Choice Bus makes rounds to educated kids

2009-05-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

Video from News 14 in Charlotte, NC:

CHARLOTTE – A national non profit is using a powerful tool to educate students in North Carolina.

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation is an organization dedicated to reducing the national dropout rate. They partnered with AT&T to bring the Choice Bus to middle schools around the state, showing students the importance of staying in school.

Once onboard the bus students are shown a video about staying in school, followed by an unveiling of an exact replica of a jail cell. Eight of out every 10 high school dropouts ends up in jail.

Statistics show most high school dropouts lead a life of crime and eventually wind up behind bars. Representatives from the Choice Bus tour hopes their presentations will help students make the right choices in their lives.

MLK Day of Service

2009-01-12T11:10:00.004-06:00

America's Promise Alliance, an organization founded by Colin and Alma Powell, has produced a public service announcement encouraging people everywhere to participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January 19, 2009.

According to America's Promise Alliance, "In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever to work together to solve community problems. Service is a bedrock strategy for fulfilling America’s promise for all of our young people and we hope you will help us mobilize all sectors and communities to help bring about profound change."

To view the PSA at the America's Promise Alliance website, click here.

You've Helped Make A Difference - Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T12:22:00.007-06:00

More than any other time of year, the holidays seem to give every one of us a sense of hope in the good things the future may bring. For some, it’s the hope of renewing relationships with family and friends who live far off, and for others it’s the hope brought by a season of spiritual renewal. But no matter where you find your peace and joy this holiday season, we would like to thank you for the hope you helped give us this past year.

You see, it’s easy to get discouraged by the dropout rate in our country. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of lives lost to the streets every single day. And it’s easy to feel hopeless at the challenges we face to overcome the debilitating disease of ignorance that plagues our country. But for us at the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, it’s people like you who give us hope: people who share our passion for making a difference in this world.

From the depths of our hearts, we would like to thank you for supporting us in this journey, for sharing our burden and for giving us hope. May this holiday season be brighter for you and your family knowing that you’ve helped us make a difference. We look forward with great anticipation to the great things to come next year.

All the best,

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation

The times changed, but some people haven’t

2008-12-15T11:20:00.000-06:00

Not so long ago, if a student didn’t finish school, they could get a job at a local mill or factory, or perhaps in construction.

Not so long ago, a parent would accept the child’s choice not to finish school, and insist the child go get that job at the local mill or factory, or at the construction site.

For some reason, many people still think these are viable options.

The housing bubble has burst, meaning much fewer construction jobs. All across the country, the factories and mills that remain are cutting back their work force. Nowadays, dropping out of school means a minimum wage job with little hope for something better.

The Salisbury Post discusses this with their article, “No more mills: Changing workforce means fewer options for dropouts.” The article describes how one of the Rowan County, NC commissioners succeeded despite being a high school dropout. Yet the opportunities that he had are all but gone now.

And that’s what it really comes down to: Opportunities. Graduating high school is no guarantee of any type of success. But graduating high school will at least give students more opportunities for success.

We must make students and parents understand that times have changed. For most high school dropouts, their opportunities will be severely limited – and not just their opportunities for success, but also their opportunities for just getting by.

The factory jobs are gone.

The jobs at the mills are gone.

The construction jobs are gone.

And while it is difficult to see where the jobs will come from for this generation, one thing is certain: The minimum requirement for these jobs will be a high school diploma.

Why not bail out our children instead?

2008-12-11T09:37:00.002-06:00

It seems that everyone wants Washington to bail them out. First, it was Wall Street and the banking industry. Now it's the domestic auto manufacturers. Even state and municipal governments are getting in line for a government bailout.

Here's a thought: Why not bail out our education system and do something to stem the rising tide of high school dropouts?

Those are the sentiments expressed in today's Orlando Sentinel by guest editorial columnist Rick Dalton. Dalton heads the non-profit organization College for Every Student. Mr. Dalton makes some excellent points that bear repeating:

"Dropouts cost the nation $84 billion in lost income tax revenue each year, while each dropout costs his community, on average, an additional half-million dollars over a lifetime in public assistance, incarceration and health care. By cutting today's dropout rate in half, we would generate a $45 billion increase in tax revenues. If we converted high-school dropouts to college graduates, we would develop a generation that contributes to rather than drains the American economy. "

Imagine if we applied the money spent to bail out the financial industry to our education system. Different "experts" put the total bailout at anywhere between $700,000,000,000 ($700 billion) and $5,000,000,000,000 ($5 trillion).

For our purposes, let's assume $700 billion.

If you divided $700 billion equally among all the public schools in the U.S., each school would receive a one time payment of:

$7,312,538
(based on 95,723 public schools - National Center for Education Statistics).

If you divided the $700 billion based on number of students, each school district would receive:

$14,110 for every student
(based on total number US Public School Students - National Center for Education Statistics).

If these monies were diverted to our schools, and if we cut the dropout rate in half . . . then between the extra tax revenues generated and the savings to communities, we would recoup the $700 billion in 16 years.

What do you think? Should our tax dollars be used to bail out adults that made poor business decisions, or to help our children make the right decision?

F's or H's: Which is better for our children?

2008-12-08T14:21:00.002-06:00

“It’s a slap in the face to those of us that earned our grades . . . “

That’s just one of many reader comments to an article about a Michigan school district’s new grading policy.

In Grand Rapids, MI, students who perform poorly on their work will no longer receive an “F,” but will instead receive an “H” for “held” and will have the opportunity to make up the work and earn a passing grade.

“If nobody fails, then nobody really succeeds either.” – reader comment

The School Superintendent says that the move is designed to give students a second chance and to overcome obstacles and be successful. This policy is the latest move in the school district’s “Success Only Option,” a program designed to give students multiple opportunities and methods to demonstrate they know the class material.

“And while were at it, why not just give the kids all the answers to all the tests?” – reader comment

Some teachers are upset with the new policy. The Teacher’s Union president said the move reeks of desperation as administrators look for quick ways to improve the percentage of passing students.

“Failure is a part of life. It builds character . . . “ – reader comment

Under the new policy, students with incomplete work can turn in missing assignments. Students receiving a “H” have the option of repeating the course, taking it as an online course on Saturdays and evenings and working with a tutor. Wyoming has a similar policy, as does Dallas, TX.

Parents are outraged. Teachers don’t like the policy. Editorials and letters to the editor fly fast and furious condemning this new policy.

“It’s un-American,” some say.

“It rewards laziness,” claim others.

Still others say “It’s just a ploy by the school district.”

But let’s step back for a moment and try to look at the problem of high school drop outs – and at this particular solution – objectively.

Our schools have always been predicated on the notion that if students can’t (or won’t) regurgitate a passing grade on the material taught, then those students will receive a failing grade and could potentially be held back from advancing to the next grade.

And while we might agree with this methodology, we have to accept the fact that for the past several decades, our graduation rates have plummeted.

For students, there is a significant correlation between failing and dropping out. In fact, the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network lists ‘failing’ as one of the top reasons students drop out of school.

And according to a Pueblo, CO news report, researchers from Johns Hopkins University studied the Pueblo School System’s 387 dropouts from 2007 and determined that 88% of them received at least one “F” as a freshman.

So . . . is replacing “F’s” with “H’s” what the system needs right now?

Mattie C. Stewart Foundation receives $50K donation

2008-12-04T15:14:00.006-06:00

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation was awarded a $50,000 donation today by AT&T to support a North Carolina initiative aimed at reducing that state's dropout rate. The grant provided by AT&T will provide MCSF developed toolkits to every North Carolina public school.

"The Call to Action is everyone's responsibility. Every child is a special gift, for they are the future. It is important for us to nurture them and help them realize their dreams. Every child is also a child at-risk, at-risk of doing something great, and needs supportive programs like those offered by the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation. We are extremely proud to assist in increasing the North Carolina high school graduation rate by sponsoring the AT&T Choice Bus and the InsideOut dropout prevention tool kits," said Cynthia Marshall, President-AT&T-North Carolina as quoted in an AT&T press release and on MyNC.com.

The Choice Bus is one of the tools developed by The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation (MCSF) to help educators, administrators, parents and community leaders fight the nation's dropout epidemic. Other tools created by the MCSF include the Toolkit for Educators and interactive lesson plans, all based on the Foundation's documentary, InsideOut.

L-R: Dr. Shelley Stewart of the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, Cynthia Marshall - President of AT&T North Carolina, Dr. June Atkinson of the NC Dept. of Education

Inside The Choice Bus, viewing the video presentation.

Dr. Stewart, founder and Chairman of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation thanked AT&T, and said, "We congratulate AT&T for stepping up and doing something about the dropout rate in North Carolina. We invite other corporations in the state to do the same. Already, our MCSF tools are in 29 states and Canada. The more we reach, the more students we can save from a life of prison and poverty, and instead give them every opportunity for prosperity."

A Front Row Seat to Something Awesome…

2008-11-26T13:33:00.008-06:00

Something truly unexpected happened last week that gave me the opportunity to see firsthand the impact T he Mattie C. Stewart Foundation is having on keeping kids in school. Not that I ever had any doubt, but seldom do we get to see the immediate results of our efforts to help young people understand the importance of staying in school and getting their education.

That changed for me on November 19th, when upon arriving at Weaver High School in Weaver, Alabama, with The Choice Bus, I was greeted by the school’s principal. She promptly informed me that just before I arrived a mother had brought her son into the school to “officially” sign the papers needed for him to drop out of school. The mother (also a high school dropout, but later earned her GED) felt she had no other choice but to let her son leave school and find his own way. But the principal had no intention of making it that easy for the young student. Armed with a copy of the InsideOut documentary, she took the student to the school’s library and had him watch the classroom version of the documentary. Then she personally escorted him to The Choice Bus and asked him to go through that experience – along with his mother. At first the young man did not want to go into the jail cell that we have recreated in the back of the bus, but upon the urging of his mother he hesitantly stepped through the doors of the cell. He was clearly taken back by what he was witnessing and asked only one question – “Is this all real?” Our reply was simple, yet stark – “Every bit of it.”

As he stepped off The Choice Bus along with his mother, the experience was clearly evident in his body language. He was somber, moved slowly and obviously deep in thought. He then looked at his mother, the principal and me and said quietly, “I don’t want to end up like them. I’ve changed my mind and I'm not dropping out of school.” His mother began to tear up, his principal jumped up and down with joy, and I stepped back to take it all in. We had just saved a life, and I had a front row seat to see it. How awesome is that!

To watch video from this event, click here.

Phil Christian
Executive Director

Some teeth are better than no teeth.

2008-11-13T12:57:00.000-06:00

On October 28th, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings issued new No Child Left Behind rules that force states to adopt a common system for monitoring which students drop out. This new rule, combined with previous NCLB rules will force states not only to measure how students perform on standardized tests, but also how many students graduate within four years.

Without a doubt, the federal No Child Left Behind Act is the subject of much criticism. Some claimed that it burdened local systems unnecessarily. That it was an unfunded federal mandate. It forced the schools to ‘teach to the test’ to the exclusion of real learning. And that its focus on test scores actually had the effect of school systems allowing students to drop out so as not to negatively impact the overall school district scores.

Certainly we could argue whether it’s the best way to improve education in this country.

We can argue that holds bright kids back and that it doesn’t do enough to help those that need it the most.

We can argue that it doesn’t address the root causes of dropouts in this country.

We can argue that economic and social conditions are different from school district to school district, and that a ‘one size fits all’ approach simply will not work.

But for all of the criticisms, the No Child Left Behind Act was a start. At least it is something that begins to address the seriousness of the dropout crisis.

And just how serious is this crisis? According to a report issued by the Education Trust on October 23, 2008, the United States is the only industrialized nation where children are less likely than their parents to receive a high school diploma. Add to this the fact that two-thirds of all new jobs created require a college degree.

The stark reality is that the dropout epidemic threatens the economic survival of our country.

With the elections last week, some worry that either NCLB will be scrapped completely, or at the least it will have no teeth. Whatever happens, we should all agree that the current dropout rate is wholly, completely, and totally unacceptable. No parent, no educator, no administrator, and no elected official should ever try to convince us that one out of every four of our children dropping out of school is acceptable.

We must not tolerate the status quo. We must begin to move forward and reduce the dropout rate. Our future depends on it.

The Choice Bus at the AEA Minority Leadership Training Conference

2008-11-10T13:16:00.011-06:00

Mattie C. Stewart Executive Director Phil Christian shares these pictures taken at the Alabama Education Association Minority Leadership Training Conference held in Orange Beach, Alabama this past weekend. Dr. Shelley Stewart (founder of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation) spoke at the conference. The Foundation's 'Choice Bus' was on display as well.

Dr. Shelley Stewart emphasizes the importance of dropout prevention at the Alabama Education Association Minority Leadership Training Conference, November 2008

From left to right: Dr. Joe Reed, Pamela Fossett, Dr. Ethel Hall, and Dr. Shelley Stewart.

The Choice Bus at the AEA Minority Leadership Training Conference,

November 2008, Orange Beach, Alabama

MCS Choice Bus makes its first stop

2008-09-26T09:01:00.009-05:00

The Mattie C. Stewart Choice Bus made its first official school stop yesterday, September 25, 2008. The Choice Bus spent the day at Alexander City Middle School in Alexander City, Alabama. More than 600 students toured the interactive exhibit.

Middle school students watch the short film based on the InsideOut documentary.

The Choice Bus at Alexander City Middle School

The event was covered by local Alexander City, AL media. Click here for the story from the Alex City Outlook.

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation was founded by Birmingham, Alabama businessman Shelley Stewart to create tools to help educators, parents, and community leaders fight the nationwide school dropout crisis. The Choice Bus is the second of these tools, following the highly acclaimed and successful documentary, 'InsideOut.'

Mattie C. Stewart Foundation attends America's Promise Alliance Event

2008-09-25T16:46:00.014-05:00

The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation's founder Shelley Stewart, and its Executive Director Phil Christian were in Washington D.C. this week to attend the America's Promise Alliance celebration for the 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People.

Three Alabama communities were recognized at the event: Huntsville, Sylacauga, and Metro Birmingham.

Here are photos from that event:

Shelley Stewart with Alma J. Powell, Chair - America's Promise Alliance

Alma J. Powell speaks

America's Promise Alliance 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People event

Fantasia performs at the America's Promise Alliance event

Fantasia sings at the event

The Howard Gospel Choir performs at the America's Promise Alliance event

Shelley Stewart of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation speaks with Alma J. Powell, Chair of America's Promise Alliance

Choice Bus unveiling video

2008-09-05T15:31:00.002-05:00

We now have video of the unveiling / presentation of the Choice Bus.

On the video, you'll hear comments from:
Dr. Tommy Bice, Deputy State Superintendent of the Alabama Department of Education,

Brian Corbett, Public Information Officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections,

Tony Petelos, Mayor of the city of Hoover, Alabama,

and of course, Shelley Stewart.

To learn more about the Choice Bus and the work of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, visit their website at http://www.mattiecstewart.org/.

New Photos Added

2008-09-05T11:36:00.000-05:00

More photos of the Choice Bus unveiling/presentation. Click the link to view the photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29036538@N05/sets/72157607124792076/

The Bus is here!

2008-09-05T10:59:00.009-05:00

This morning, the Choice Bus was unveiled to the media and to the public. More pictures to follow, as well as a short video of the ceremony.

Speakers included Phil Christian, Executive Director of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, officials from the State of Alabama Corrections Department, the Department of Education, Hoover Alabama Mayor Tony Petelos, and Dr. Shelley Stewart.

A complete recap to follow soon. Much better photos to follow as well.

Local media films Phil Christian introducing the Choice Bus.

Local dignitaries and special guests.

Dr. Shelley Stewart addresses the crowd.

Quote of the day

2008-09-04T11:49:00.002-05:00

Nevada State Senator Bob Beers, in a Nevada Business Journal article discussing the state's dropout rate, says this about students that drop out:

“In addition, we have a local economy, driven by construction and tourism, which offers jobs to young people possessing a strong work ethic without penalizing them for failing to achieve an endurance award from the Clark County School District (CCSD) . . .”

Since when did a diploma become merely "an endurance award?"

And by calling it an "endurance award," isn't State Senator Beers devaluing diplomas awarded by the Clark County School District?

It's almost here!

2008-09-04T11:18:00.002-05:00

Friday morning at 10am The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation will hold the official unveiling of the Choice Bus.

We have a few new pictures posted to the Flickr account, which you can view here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29036538@N05/sets/72157607079929641/

We will have more pictures and a video of the unveiling to post tomorrow afternoon.

If you're in Birmingham, join us Friday morning at the unveiling!

More on the Choice Bus

2008-09-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

Here's a look at one of the videos that will be a part of the interactive experience of the Mattie C. Stewart Choice Bus.

More Choice Bus photos

2008-09-03T09:35:00.002-05:00

The Choice Bus build out continues and is nearing completion. Once complete, the Choice Bus will give The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation another tool in the fight to reduce the high school dropout rate.

Preliminary renderings of the exterior of the bus can be seen at the Mattie C. Stewart website. Click the link below for additional images of the interior build out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29036538@N05/sets/72157607079929641/

When complete, the interior of the bus will be half classroom and half prison cell. More pictures of the build out will be posted tomorrow.

The completed bus will be unveiled by Dr. Shelley Stewart this Friday, September 5th. As quickly as possible after the ceremony, we will post video of the unveiling to this blog.

Follow us on Twitter @ insideout_tour.

The Bus is Coming

2008-09-02T09:27:00.006-05:00

On Friday September 5th, The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation will roll out its latest tool to help fight the national dropout crisis - the Choice Bus.

Developed as a mobile, interactive learning experience, the Choice Bus will help students understand that the choices they make now will impact the rest of their lives.

More details to follow throughout the week, but for now here's a sample of the work that's going into this mobile training asset.

Working on the interior "prison cell" area of the Choice Bus.

Exterior painting begins.

Check back throughout the week for more updates. On Friday, we will cover the unveiling of the bus to the public by Dr. Shelley Stewart.