American Graduate/Teacher Wall

The Teacher Wall provides teachers with an opportunity to talk about what’s important to them. From challenges to A-ha! moments, from professional development to job satisfaction, from curriculum to parent engagement – the topics tackled on the Wall showcase a wide range of voices and provide teachers with a chance to interact, share, and learn from one another, all while contributing to the conversation on American education.

KUVO's  4-part series, "The American Graduate," aired on Wednesdays in November. 2011. The entire series is presented here.

LISTEN HERE to Part One: Laying the Groundwork  Air Date, 11/2/11

The American Graduate On KUVO. Part one: Laying the Groundwork by Nheffel

LISTEN HERE to Part Two: The Case for Charter Schools   Air Date, 11/9/11

The American Graduate On KUVO. Part 2: The Case For Charter Schools by Nheffel

LISTEN HERE to Part Three: Native American Dropouts   Air Date, 11/16/11

The American Graduate On KUVO. Part 3: Native American Students and the drop out crisis by Nheffel

LISTEN HERE to Part Four: Solutions and Programs   Air Date, 11/23/11

The American Graduate On KUVO. Part 4: Students, Parents, And Community Involvement by Nheffel

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Colorado High School Charter is just one of the local resources available to assist at-risk youths.

Colorado 211,  Mile High United Way - Dropout Prevention Resources
Academy Of Urban Learning - a DPS Charter High serving students ages 16-21. Our students have experienced many different barriers in achieving success at their former schools.
Ace Community Challenge School - re-engaging high-risk youth and families who have not experienced success in mainstream educational systems
Arrupe Jesuit High School - A Catholic, co-ed, college prep school serving economically disadvantaged students from Denver’s inner-city neighborhoods.
Colorado Department of Education Dropout Resources - Assisting school districts, school leaders, teachers and staff in creating a Student Graduation and Completion Plan.
Colorado High School Charter  - a safe inclusive learning community geared towards giving kids a second chance at receiving a High School Diploma
Colorado Youth For A Change - works with Colorado school districts to create dropout outreach and recovery programs, implement intervention programs that prevent dropping out, and design new school programs to meet the needs of out-of-school youth.
Denver Public Schools Resource Page - links to a variety of resources addressing various educational issues.
Futures Digital Academy - an alternative school created to serve the educational needs of expelled and at-risk students at the secondary level
Goodwill Industries International, Inc. - Drop-out prevention and youth job training
Jeffco Indian Education Program - Addressing the special educational and cultural needs of Indian students.
Metro State Journey Through our Heritage - program designed to create a kalpulli (community) which empowers MSCD students to become exceptionally accomplished mentors, focused on developing culturally efficient high school students through a yearlong endeavor.
Southwest Early College High School - As an early college high school, SWEC students take college-level coursework leading to both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.
Urban Peak - Assisting young people to overcome poverty and homelessness by offering services and support to become self-reliant adults.

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Panel of experts from American Graduate Town Hall Meeting

KUVO's Community Advisory Board, in conjunction with the station's news department, held its first Town Hall Meeting Tuesday Oct. 11th in the Phyllis A Greer Performance Studio. 

Hosted by News Manager Nathan Heffel and Community Advisory Board member Barbara Avant, the panel addressing Colorado's drop out crisis  included 5 education experts. The panelists were: Nichole Avant-Henry, Counselor for Aurora Public Schools; David Hicks, Founder of a non-profit which promotes finishing school and trains students in the field of construction; Cindi Bush-Luna, Principal of the Colorado High School Charter;  Larry Borrum, member of the African American Studies department at Metropolitan State University;  and Mikisha Booth, from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. A number of local guests and community leaders came to listen to the discussion and ask questions of the panel. The hour and a half discussion raised many issues as well as possible solutions to combat school drop out. The audience left energized to continue the discussion and educate their friends and family about how they and their community can become more involved in reducing school dropouts.

Additional photos from the meeting are available here.

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Colorado Public Television Presents American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen

Co-hosts Tamara Banks from CPT12 and Nathan Heffel from jazz89 KUVO lead a discussion of the high school dropout crisis, including creative solutions and community resources. KUVO and CPT12 are part of a community-wide effort to address the crisis and to help students stay in school.

Watch American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen on PBS. See more from KBDI.

From our American Graduate partners, Colorado Public Television 12, two short videos highlighting some local facts about youth who are at risk for dropping out – and how it impacts the community when they do.

 

Every year, more than 1.3-million students drop out of high school….that’s seven thousand kids a day who effectively close the door on the type of future we would wish for them. Reduced opportunity, low wages, increased risk of incarceration. That's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the costs of dropping out for the students - and for our society as a whole.

Ask any student whether he or she expects to graduate from high school, and the vast majority – 92 percent – say yes. For many students, however, the reality is much different. Only seven in ten will actually finish high school, and for Hispanic, African-American and Native American students, that statistic drops to six in ten. This is an American tragedy, but a tragedy we can correct.

KUVO/KVJZ is part of a nationwide effort by public radio and television stations, addressing local community interests and activities around high school graduation rates. American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to help local communities across the country address the dropout crisis. CPB, in partnership with America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is working with public media stations in 20 "Hub Markets" where the dropout crisis is most acute to raise awareness of the issue and coordinate action with community partners -- all with the goal of helping students stay on course to graduate from high school.