Riley Institute’s WhatWorksSC Adds Information on Dropout Prevention
September 1, 2010
GREENVILLE, SC – September 1, 2010 – The website of “WhatWorksSC,” the second phase of the Riley Institute at Furman University’s statewide public education project, now features new educational materials about dropout prevention strategies.
The materials were added to the website this week.
WhatWorksSC is a comprehensive information resource designed to provide South Carolina educators and policy makers with access to important educational materials.
The new section includes an expert report co-authored by Dr. Terry Peterson, former deputy U.S. Secretary of Education under Secretary Richard W. Riley, and Dr. Jay Smink, Executive Director of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network; a case study of Baptist Hill High School on Yonges Island; and an evolving clearinghouse of other promising dropout prevention initiatives.
“Until we reduce the number of these dropout factories and tackle the drop-out crisis head on, South Carolina will be perpetually behind in educating its students, creating well-paying jobs, developing its economy, and succeeding as a state in today’s global marketplace,” said Peterson, who currently serves as director of the Community Learning Network at the College of Charleston.
Other sections currently available at WhatWorksSC are “Early Childhood Education,” “Transforming Public Schools into Community Learning Centers” and “Improving Learning in the Early Years.” Other topics will be added in the coming months.
WhatWorksSC, unveiled in April of this year, grew out of the Riley Institute’s original study in 2007, which identified what South Carolina citizens want in their K-12 public education system. The goal of WhatWorksSC is to help translate those research findings into practice.
The public education project is being carried out by the Riley Institute’s Center for Education and Policy Leadership (CEPL). The initial study centered around 3,000 hours of interviews with nearly 800 people representing every school district in the state. The participants included businesspersons, parents, students, school board members, teachers, superintendents, and principals from every county and school district.
The Riley Institute education study is funded by a multi-year grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
The Institute is named for Furman graduate and former South Carolina governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. It offers a broad array of programs designed to engage students and citizens across South Carolina in the various arenas of politics, public policy and public leadership.
For more information, visit the CEPL website or call the Center for Education Policy and Leadership at 864-294-3541.
