Today, the Alliance for Public Schools celebrates Florida’s graduation rates for the Class of 2021. Hillsborough County Public Schools posted the highest graduation rate in district history.
“I am so proud of Hillsborough’s educators and administrators for their hard work and focus that led to these increased graduation rates,” said Melissa Erickson, Executive Director of Alliance for Public Schools. “But, I am most proud of the hard work done by the Student Alliance for Public Schools leaders in area high schools. These students went above and beyond to identify and eliminate barriers to diplomas for themselves and their peers by designing, implementing and leading programs like peer mentoring and tutoring at their schools.”
The Student Alliance for Public Schools, a program of the Alliance for Public Schools, began in Hillsborough high schools when the graduation rate was 76%. The program was started to address equity issues related to differences in academic achievement and disciplinary actions in our community. The Alliance’s student leaders were inspired by the national work of America’s Promise Alliance to raise our country’s graduation rate to 90%. At the 2015 GradNation Community Summit co-hosted with the United Way Suncoast, the superintendent, inspired by the students’ leadership, adopted their goal of raising graduation rates across the district. Superintendent Addison Davis has continued the goal of increasing graduation rates in Hillsborough County with his ongoing support of the Student Alliance program.
This year, schools with Student Alliance programs demonstrated tremendous accomplishments due to the ongoing commitment from students, educators and school level administrators. Many of these schools saw the highest graduation rates in their history.
“Today’s results show that efforts to improve student success are far more successful when students themselves are co-designing the solutions in collaboration with school and district leadership,” said Melissa Erickson. “I am very proud of them for their diligence and commitment to the important work of ensuring a diploma for all.”
High Graduation Rates have a massive impact on our local community. Students who graduate with a high school diploma earn $380,000 more during their lifetimes compared to students who do not graduate, translating to a more than $2 billion boost to the local economy over the past five years.
About Alliance for Public Schools
Alliance for Public Schools is a non-profit organization based on the belief that student success through public education must be a shared community value and priority, worthy of investment. The Alliance focuses on engaging education stakeholders, including parents, educators and community members, to ensure students receive a high quality, relevant education and graduate from high school prepared for the next stage of life.
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