Every year, more than 1.3 million students drop out of high school. That's 7,000 students a day.[1]
Students have the will to graduate, but they do not always have the necessary support or resources. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), working with national partners, such as America's Promise Alliance and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen — an initiative to help combat the dropout crisis in this country.
Local public radio and television stations, located in 20 impacted "hub markets" where the dropout crisis is most acute, are at the core of the American Graduate initiative.
[1] Civic Enterprises, specifically On Track for Success: The Use of Early Warning Indicator and Intervention Systems to Build a Grad Nation, November 2011.
What WJCT is Doing:
As part of American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, WJCT is working with multiple community partners to address the dropout crisis in Duval County and across Florida in a partnership with Florida Public Broadcast System (FPBS) and member stations WDSC, WEDU, WFSU, WLRN and WUSF.
Grand Park Project
Each month, WJCT reporter Cyd Hoskinson focuses on some of the local programs that help at-risk students in our area earn their diplomas. Listen to the stories below:
American Graduate on WJCT News
TEACH Conference
On September 15, WJCT and Community First Credit Union presented the first-ever TEACH, a professional development conference for teachers and the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. More than 1,000 teachers, principals, and other education professionals participated in the one-day celebration of teaching and learning.
The event featured expert keynote speakers Lucy Calkins and Brad Cohen, cutting-edge information and invaluable tools and resources to enhance teaching skills. Click here to see the TEACH program.
Also, check out all our great TEACH photos. (Be sure to scroll through all the pages.)
The second annual TEACH conference, which will take place on September 28, 2013. For continuing information and tickets, add wjct.org/teach to your browser favorites!
Teacher Wall
If you stopped by the Teacher Wall booth at the TEACH Conference, you will find your story posted here!
Scholastic, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and DonorsChoose.org bring you the Teacher Wall, a virtual teacher town square where America's educators can share their stories, knowledge, and ideas on our nation's schools.
The Teacher Wall provides teachers with an opportunity to talk about what's important to them. From challenges to "Ah ha!" moments, from professional development to job satisfaction, from curriculum to parent engagement, the topics tackled on the Wall showcase a wide range of voices and provide teachers with a chance to interact, share and learn from one another, all while contributing to the conversation on American education.
Share your thoughts and ideas with us!
- What’s one thing you’ve done in the past year to make yourself a better teacher?
- What has been your greatest success as a teacher?
- If you could change one thing about American education, what would it be?
- What’s the best thing about teaching?
- Where to you go to get feedback on your performance as a teacher and why?
- What words of advice would you give a new teacher?
- What’s the biggest challenge you face in your classroom? How do you tackle it?
- What’s one thing you’ve done in the past year to make yourself a better teacher?
- As new teacher evaluation systems are developed, what are the most important factors to consider? What would you think if your individual teacher evaluation was made public?
Teacher Town Hall
On April 28, 2012, WJCT hosted a statewide Teacher Town Hall at WJCT Studios. The Town Hall gives a collective voice to the needs, inspirations and ideas of teachers in Florida. WJCT edited the 90-minute conversation into a 60-minute television program that simulcast on 89.9 WJCT-FM, and broadcast across Florida on FPBS member stations.
WJCT had attendees from across the state, the areas of which are visualized below:
View American Graduate Teacher Town Hall in a larger map
Listen to WJCT's Cyd Hoskinson's feature from the Town Hall:
Florida American Graduate Teacher Town Hall Feature
ONE by ONE
WJCT is partnering with the Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) in its ONE by ONE campaign, designed to increase civic investment in education. The campaign launched with ONE in THREE, a touring photo exhibit that showcases the dramatic stories of 20 troubled Duval County students who achieved school success with the help of caring community members. The exhibit includes portraits by local photographer Ingrid Damiani, with WJCT producing several of the students' stories. To showcase additional voices and encourage individuals to get involved, JPEF is holding community conversations across Duval County neighborhoods. WJCT is participating in the community conversations, and will record and broadcast a selection online.
Mission US
WJCT is partnering with Duval County Public Schools to offer teacher training workshops for Mission US, a free, interactive computer game that immerses students in U.S. history. The game, which has become a runaway hit, is a valuable and engaging classroom tool. Two "missions" are available:
- Mission 1: "For Crown or Colony?" showcases the Revolutionary War period, putting players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a 14-year-old printer's apprentice attempting to navigate the rising tensions between Patriots and Loyalists in 1770 Boston.
- Mission 2: "Flight to Freedom" showcases the Underground Railroad, putting players in the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old Kentucky slave on the run to Ohio in the 1850s.
TV and Radio Programming. WJCT continues to broadcast television programs and radio news stories that promote education and address the dropout crisis. WJCT will also produce a documentary film that addresses the dropout crisis in Northeast Florida.
