Capital City to Host One of 100 Summits Nationwide Examining Challenges and Solutions for Raising High School Graduation Rates and Preparing All Young People for Success                                                                                                

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 20, 2015) – Community officials, business leaders, educators, and parents will come together on April 22 to examine local data and identify successes and challenges in Little Rock’s efforts to prepare young people for success in and out of school. The event will take place at the Statehouse Convention Center in Governor’s Hall IV.  The Little Rock 2015 GradNation Community Summit will also serve as a launching pad for the development of a multi-year community action plan that outlines how Little Rock will accelerate efforts to raise high school graduation rates to 90 percent by the class of 2020.  This plan will include a series of metrics and a process for evaluating progress.

The summit begins with registration from 8 to 8:45 a.m.  Programming begins at 8:50 a.m. and will conclude at 4:45 p.m. The Little Rock 2015 GradNation Summit is free to the public.  Registration for the summit is still open at www.littlerock.gov under the 3-1-1 block on the home page. Lunch will be served.

The GradNation Summit continues the City’s commitment to Little Rock’s education system.

“The economic and overall well-being of Little Rock is at risk unless we come together to support our children and youth better,” said Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola. “This summit is a great opportunity build a plan that strengthens what we are already doing so we can serve more children and families while increasing our graduation rates.”

The summit is part of a series of 100 events that will be held around the country through 2016. The events are co-sponsored by America’s Promise Alliance as part of its GradNation campaign – a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations, and communities working together to raise national high school graduation rates.

“The progress we are seeing toward the national goal of raising graduation rates is based on communities coming together to support and insist on better outcomes for young people," said John Gomperts, president and CEO of America’s Promise Alliance.  “Summits like the event in Little Rock are rallying points for communities.  America’s Promise is delighted to support this effort and work with the leaders in Little Rock and communities across the country to help advance this campaign.” 

Speakers and presenters include Mary Kaye McKinney, Pre-K administrator in the Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education, Arkansas Department of Human Services; LaVeta L. Will-Hale, network coordinator, Arkansas Out of School Network; Kathy Webb, executive director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance; and Dr. John Miller, president of the Greater Little Rock Chapter of The 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and faculty member of the UALR School of Social Work. The summit will also feature a panel composed of Little Rock School District elementary school principals.  Community leaders and parents, including Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton, former president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation; Sanford Tollette, executive director of Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp, Dr. Mark Perry, executive director of New Futures for Youth; and Kathy Pillow-Price, who leads the Arkansas Home Visiting Network, will be among those taking part in the Little Rock 2015 GradNation Community Summit through a community panel. 

The luncheon key note address will be delivered by Dr. Robert Dugger.  Dr. Dugger is a venture capital investor, retired partner in the hedge fund Tudor Investment Corporation, and the founder and managing partner of Hanover Investment Group – a firm specializing in helping business and government clients navigate significant changes in fiscal conditions. Dr. Dugger’s main interest is early child development and organizing strong business coalitions in states to support high-return investment spending in children prenatal to five.

The premier sponsor of the national GradNation Community Summits initiative is AT&T. This initiative is part of AT&T Aspire, the company’s $350 million commitment to graduate more students from high school ready for college and a career. 

“The business community has a huge stake in this issue; working with educators, parents and nonprofits at the local level is the best way to ensure we stay on track,” said Ronnie Dedman, director of external affairs for AT&T.  “Our collective future depends on it, and it will take all of us working together to achieve it.”

Other national sponsors include Southwest Airlines and Target Stores.  Local sponsors include the Arkansas Out of School Network, the Little Rock Port Authority, Entergy Arkansas, Central Arkansas Water, and the City of Little Rock. 

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About America’s Promise Alliance

Founded in 1997 at the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future, America’s Promise leads an alliance of organizations, communities and individuals dedicated to fulfilling the presidential declaration signed on that day calling upon the nation to keep five crucial promises to every young person in America: the presence of caring adults in their lives; safe surroundings to live, learn and grown; healthy starts and healthy childhoods; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to serve others.  As its signature effort, the GradNation campaign, launched in 2010, mobilizes Americans to increase the on-time high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020 and prepare young people for postsecondary enrollment and the 21^st century workforce. For more information, visit AmericasPromise.org.