1. RESEARCH: How are students doing in our schools?
Professor William F. Tate of the Washington University in St. Louis in a keynote address on 9 August entitled, “Literacy and Democracy: A Cost-Benefit Perspective” shared the following observations:

2. High School Graduation Rates USA’s 50 Largest Districts, lowest to highest
Rate District Rank by Size
21.7 Detroit 11
38.5 Baltimore 30
38.9 New York 1
43.1 Milwaukee 28
43.8 Cleveland 44
44.2 Los Angeles 2
45.3 Miami-Dade 4
46.3 Dallas 13

3. Work-life Earning Estimate
Synthetic Work-life Estimates for Full-time by Educational Attainment (in 1999 dollars) [Day & Newberger, 2002]
Work-life Earning Estimate
Annual Avg.
Earnings
Work-life
Impact
Annual Impact
Not a H. S. grad
$950,000
(25,297)
$23,752
H. S.
grad
$1,226,570
(14,583)
$30,664
$276,470
$6,911
Some college
$1,494,990
(29,240)
$37,374
$544,890
$13,622
Associate
$1,563,705
(46,903)
$39,039
$613,605
$15,340
Bachelor
$2,140,860
(35,559)
$53,521
$1,190,760
$29,279

4. James Heckman 2000 Nobel Prize-winning Economist
“If we don't provide disadvantaged young children with the proper environments to foster cognitive and noncognitive skills, we'll create a class of people without such skills, without motivation, without the ability to contribute to the larger society nearly as much as they could if they'd been properly nurtured from an early age. The most economically efficient way to remediate the disadvantage caused by adverse family environments is to invest in children when they are young. Neglecting the early years creates an underclass that is arguably growing in the United States. The family is the major source of human inequality in American society.”

5. Urban Literacy Challenges & Issues
Poverty Related Issues
High Student Mobility
Language Development Deficits
Nutrition & Health Issues
Attendance Problems
Access to resources
School District Challenges
Leadership Capacity (Superintendents, Principals)
Teacher Longevity
Accountability Stress (NCLB)
Supt. Turnover
“Program of the Month” Solutions
Community Perceptions & Flight (Economic/Re-segregation)

6. “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” St. Francis of Assisi