America First or Last’s Minority High School Graduation Campaign – 12 Million Drive for 2025

The United States has a 72% high school completion rate, which ranks it 19^th internationally. If the nation’s minority high school graduation rate would improve the US could move into the Top 10 by 2025.

                                                 

To not be confused with some different national movement or campaign to fix our nation’s high school drop-out problem. The America First or Last Movement is concentrating on the real problems and one specific goal. Raise the nation’s minority high school graduation rate in low performing school districts were high school graduation rates are 50% or lower.  

In an effort, to achieve its objectives, the movement will launch its 12 Million Drive for 2025 campaign this fall. The movement organizers have targeted 36 cities; in 28 states were they’re confident if they could improve minority high school student’s graduation rates by 30%, by the year 2025. It would climb the nation’s overall high school graduation rate to 85%, which would put the US in the world’s top 10.

Asian and White high school students currently have a graduating rate of 80%, which would already place the US near the Top 10. However, Native-American, African-American and Hispanics are only graduating at a 56% rate. In some areas of the country, they’re graduating below 50 percent. Those are the school districts the America First or Last Movement’s campaign will be targeting.

Case Study

The 12 Million Drive for 2025 campaign will use the nation’s number-one minority high school dropout prevention model – the 100% Graduation Rate Program. The program model was able to increase the nation’s lowest performing student population – minority males – high school graduation rates by 56%.

The most amazing feat was it was conducted in one of the country’s poorest and most dangerous cities, Camden, New Jersey. With limited resources and a disoriented school district which had 6 different superintendents in 10 years. Nevertheless, the program designers the New Jersey Minority Educational Organization drew together the community leaders to successfully work with the district.  

How They Do It

Their success was based on setting up a free community educational developmental cooperation forum. That brought the community stakeholders together to build a 10 year action plan to work with the local high schools. The local businesses help provide summer jobs and sponsored field trips, the local college, Rutgers-Camden, allow for staff support and free forum spaces; the church and social service agencies help offer, support to the students and their parents.

Everyone owned an equal say in how the program was operating, and added their ideas during their annual meeting. The program delivered on their objective to raise the high school graduation rate of the at-risk male population from 39% to 95%. And these were students entering high school with a C average or below, that did not pass their 8^th grade reading or math standardize test, and had school behavioral problems.    

Ready for Prime Time

The 12 Million Drive for 2025, campaign will utilize the 100% Graduation Rate Program to handle the high at-risk male population and apply its community design format. However, this campaign also is working with female and males not at risk. In fact, the campaign will be targeting students in low performing school districts from early childhood through college enrollment. 

If you live in one of the 36 cities, the campaign will be going; America First or Last Movement want to invite you to participate. They are seeking churches, social service agencies, businesses, and colleges that are involved or are interested in working with their community’s schools, students and parents.  Please contact America First or Last Movement at (856) 541-3926 for more information, or visit their website www.usent.org and complete their volunteer form.