(ThyBlackMan.com) The dropout rate of high school students is critical, strategies are being developed, community involvement is sought to find solutions to stop the rise in high school dropout rates.
Brittany Glover and Michelle McNealy, students from Edward Waters College attending the Educational Technology class of Pro. William Jackson had the opportunity to attend WJCT and the Florida Public Broadcasting Service event “Teacher Town Hall”. Teachers across the state of Florida were invited to have their voices heard in a taped forum addressing Florida’s high school dropout crisis. The alarming dropout rate in the state of Florida and strategies
teachers provide to focus on motivating students to stay in school.
This unique opportunity to engage in discussion allowed these two students to interact and hear educators perspectives, instructional experiences, 
suggestions and ideas about the urgent issue of the increasing dropout rate of high school students and the implications of failing the state assessment FCAT Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
The WJCT Studios was a great setting to gather teachers from around the state including counties of Duval, Clay, Putnam and surrounding areas. Teachers from school districts hours away were provided transportation to participate. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided funding to feed and transport teachers as far away as Tallahassee, Tampa and Miami. The program taped will be re-broadcast across the state on PBS and NPR stations in May.
Al Letson of NPR’s State of the Re: Union hosted and guided the dialogue. Brittany Glover a Mass Communications major had the unique opportunity to see firsthand how technology is used to broadcast programming. Michelle McNealy had the opportunity to hear teaching strategies, the use of benchmarks, standards and other measurements to assess student success, challenges and progression as a Psychology major this is very relevant to her profession with the use of data as a tool to apply prescriptive measures to control and monitor behaviors.
Edward Waters College was well represented by these young ladies and their instructor William Jackson, M.Ed. that teaches Educational Technology for EWC, a teacher for Duval County Public School in Jacksonville, Florida. Professor Jackson regularly takes students on field trips from his Educational Technology class to show them the “real side” of education and even in the business environment. It is important for college students to learn how to interact and learn from teachers in the school environment and business leaders, even though educators work in schools districts some have business interests and are involved in their communities as educators
and business owners.
The opportunity to take a photograph was also provided with Mr. Letson (actor, poet, host of NPR’s State of the Re:Union) who encouraged Ms. McNealy and Ms. Glover to continue their education and work to make the world a better place.
Michelle McNealy is blogging at: http://michelle7dotme.wordpress.com/
Brittany Glover is blogging at: http://brittneglover.wordpress.com/tag/brittany-glover/
Prof. William Jackson is blogging at: http://WilliamDJackson.com/
For more information on this and future events in education contact:
Circe LeNoble Grant & Community Relations Manager
Phone: 904.358.6329 – office
E-mail: americangraduate@wjct.org
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
Also check out; http://www.About.Me/WilliamDJackson