Willie and Sherman have shared an invaluable friendship through a United-Way funded program that matches adult volunteer mentors with children and youth. The high school drop out rate is steadily increasing in Northeast Florida. Less than two-thirds of our youth graduate high school within four years of entry, and the dropout rate for Duval County is nearly double the state’s dropout rate. The decision to drop out of high school is not made overnight; rather it is the end point of a long process that begins in middle school. However, research has shown that one caring adult can have a positive, lasting impact on the life a student struggling to stay in school. Furthermore, in today’s competitive workforce high school dropouts encounter more challenges and earn approximately $270,000 less during their working lives than graduates. In addition, the cost of a high school dropout ripples through the community via greater dependence on public assistance and public healthcare and increased crime and incarceration rates. Florida dropouts cost taxpayers an estimated $12.1 billion in lost tax revenue in 2002-03. While the reasons for dropping out vary according to the specific conditions in which students live and work, researchers have isolated two key predictors for students dropping out of school, including missing more than 18 days in a year at the middle school level and being held back a grade. Additionally, high school dropouts frequently lack a vision for their future. Mentorship has been demonstrated to improve a struggling student’s attendance, behavior, and academic performance in a relatively short period of time. Studies show that students mentored on a regular basis see an improvement in the quality of their classwork, increase in homework completion, improvement in subject areas such as science and language arts, and a decrease in the number and frequency of school infractions. The benefits of having a mentor extend outside the classroom as well. Parents often report a significant change in attitude towards school after their child began a mentorship program. Mentors act as committed friends to youth, typically visiting the student's school one hour each week to read, play games, and work on assignments. Men and women from all walks of life have joined mentoring programs in their communities, including: Governor Charlie Crist, Mayor John Peyton, Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals, retirees, business persons, military and many others. United Way of Northeast Florida supports mentors through agencies such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Kesler Mentoring Connection, as well as through the targeted initiative, Achievers for Life. In total, United Way has matched more than 1,600 young people to a mentor in their community. This past fall, after an in-depth study of Duval County schools with the highest dropout rate and lowest graduation rate, United Way launched Achievers For Life. Through this new initiative United Way will help students in the 6th grade, the pivotal point where dropping out begins, at Arlington and Ft. Caroline Middle Schools stay engaged and successfully complete high school. Achievers For Life will provide support to both students and their families with access to social services, provided by Family Advocates, and academic assistance, provided by Achievement Advocates Are you willing to give an hour of your time each week to help our children choose success? To learn more about how you can become a mentor, please call Jan Morse, Director of Childhood & Youth Strategies, at 904-390-3267. >> Your Impact in our community