Arne Duncan (left) and Jane Stoddard Williams, host of Bloomberg EDU (Photo by Joseph Sinnott/WNET)

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan believes that mentoring is the key to high school graduation and reiterated his belief repeatedly in an interview with Bloomberg EDU host Jane Stoddard Williams during a September 22 event leading up to the third annual American Graduate Day, a live national broadcast that celebrates those who help improve high school retention rates, on September 27. The interview and program, hosted by WNET and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—and emceed by author and youth advocate Wes Moore—took place at New York City’s Talent Unlimited High School. It kicked off a week of celebrations that will culminate in a broadcast on September 27, 11 am–6 pm ET, live from the WNET studios in New York City's Lincoln Center. Moore will host guests such as crooner Tony Bennett and wife Susan Benedetto; General Colin Powell and wife Alma Powell; former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg; and sports stars Reggie Bush, CC Sabathia, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. During his interview, Duncan noted that students need “just one person.” “When there’s no one to help when things get tough,” he said, “that’s when kids drop out.” The seeds of success or failure are sown early, he said, explaining that kindergarteners who are frequently absent from school are less likely than their classmates to graduate from high school. “We have to get to these babies early on." Duncan also recommended changes in teacher education and a rise in teacher pay as ways to improve student performance. “The residency model,” he said, such as what doctors complete, “makes tremendous sense” as a way to increase both student and teacher retention. He’d like to see a greater career ladder for teachers, too, “so that master teachers can teach new colleagues who are coming up.” Williams explained to the audience that Duncan had just ended a bus tour where he visited schools around the country and saw the effects of mentoring first hand. He told of a roundtable that took place in Carollton, GA, where he met ten students, seven of whom will be the first in their families to graduate high school. Some of the students had parents in jail, another was a teen mother—but due to a mentoring partnership with Southwire power company, “these are future leaders in that community who lots of folks would have written off.” During the program, "Duncan announced the award of $82 million for 41 grants under Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) that will help 116,000 at-risk students to prepare for college and receive the support they need to achieve success in postsecondary education," stated a September 22 press release through the U.S. Department of Education. According to the press release, "Two types of grants are being awarded: $51,420,120 for 31 partnership grants in 19 states, and $31,264,008 for ten state grants to Alabama, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia." The state and partnership grants awarded in 19 states are "competitive six- or seven-year matching grant programs that target entire grades of students." Schools partner with local organizations or businesses, and the funds must include matching local contributions and in-kind services. This year, applicants were encouraged to address how they plan to increase post-secondary success, implement college- and career-ready standards, and work in conjunction with Promise Zones—places where the federal government has partnered with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, improve educational opportunities, and reduce violent crime. One grant project is a $5.78 million partnership grant between Northeastern Illinois University and Chicago Public Schools District 299 that will be used to transform the way schools prepare some 7,229 disadvantaged students for high school and success in college. Beginning in 36 elementary and middle schools that feed into 14 high-needs Chicago public high schools—and partnering with eleven colleges and community-based organizations—the project has three objectives: to increase academic preparation and performance of GEAR UP students in higher-level math, English, and science courses; increase high school graduation and college-going rate; and increase students’ educational expectations by deepening their knowledge about the advantages of post-secondary education and the availability of student aid.

Edmanuel Roman, the restoration manager, of Rocking the Boat, an organization that empowers low-income students through building boats. Photo credit: Henrietta Verma

Asked his opinion of the impact of high-stakes testing and cuts in funding to education, Duncan stressed the importance of extracurricular activities in boosting graduation rates. “Nobody wakes up and says, ‘I want to be a high school dropout,’” he said. “Some dropouts are bored.” Programs such as Talent Unlimited’s MakerSpace (which featured representatives from Rocking the Boat, Publicolor, and more at the event) showcased as part of day’s celebration, are essential for high graduation rates, the Education Secretary stated. Williams then asked what Duncan tells people who say that students' failure to graduate is because the material is too difficult. “I absolutely reject that. The answer is never to dummy things down.” Duncan also had strong words for some in the sports world, a realm Williams was prompted to ask about because of Duncan's background as a professional basketball player—he also regularly plays with President Obama—and because of recent domestic violence scandals within the NFL. “When values behind sports are violated,” commented Duncan, “it’s heartbreaking.... Universities, the NFL, the owners are making a lot of money, and they’ve made that more important than doing the right thing." After Duncan and Williams concluded the interview, Moore introduced several recipients of American Graduate Day awards. The first was Kenny Irby, whose St. Petersburg, FL, monthly mentoring program, The Write Field, helps chosen middle-school boys with developing their academic and life skills. Also honored were teachers Stacy Adamson and Tracee Ford from Cody, NE. Noting that their town needed a grocery store, the two embarked on a five-year project to launch Circle C Market; the straw-bale construction store is run by students and also features a classroom and office. Topping off the program was a standing-ovation winning performance by voice and dance students at Talent Unlimited High School.