State and local officials, educators and community members recently participated in a forum to address Alabama’s dropout crisis.
Hosted by Alabama State University’s WVAS-FM, the forum, titled “American Graduate: A Community Conversation on the Dropout Crisis,” was held at Bellingrath Middle School on Wednesday, July 27.
The forum was designed to engage the community, educators, public servants and students on ways to address and resolve the dropout crisis in the state of Alabama.
“When you realize the impact of the dropout rate, it makes you think, what happens to those kids? They don’t have good jobs, they don’t have good healthcare, they resort to crime and they become a lost generation,” said Candy Capel, WVAS-FM station manager.
The roundtable forum was recorded live on WVAS-FM 90.7, from 6-8 p.m., and was hosted by Robb Taylor, host of “90.7 Perspectives” and Taylor Bryant, public service director of WZHT-FM, Hot 105.7.
Some of the many panelists included: Dr. Tommy Bice, Deputy State Superintendent, Alabama Department of Education; Rev. Paul Gourdine, Community Congressional United Church of Christ; Cynthia Handy, ASU ASPIRE Program; Keith Karst, Chair Economic Workforce Development Council, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce; Chief Keith Murphy, City of Montgomery Police Department; Juanita Owes, Director Montgomery City-County Public Library; Dr. Cheryl Plettenberg, ASU’s Alabama Youth Initiative; and Barbara Thompson, Superintendent, Montgomery Public Schools.
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