D.C. summit to explore school dropout in U.S. & elsewhere
August 26, 2015
Washington, D.C. – Approximately 200 education experts and government officials will gather for a two-day summit here to explore drivers of school dropout and strategies used in the United States and other countries, the U.S. Agency for International Development (www.usaid.gov) and Creative Associates International announced. (www.CreativeAssociatesInternational.com)
The “School Dropout Prevention Summit: Understanding the Causes, Sharing the Solutions” will be held at the Washington (D.C.) Hilton on Sept. 9 and 10. Registration is open to education professionals—as well as the media—at no cost. Space is limited on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Sept. 9 and 10 Summit, which will examine factors that affect dropout in developing and developed countries, has the following scheduled sessions:
- Overview of Strategies to Address Dropout
- Early Warning Systems: A Foundation for Action
- Crime and Dropout Prevention Strategies
- Dropout Prevention in Conflict Settings, for Girls, and Youth Livelihoods
- Did It Work? School Dropout Prevention Pilot Research Findings on Dropout Intervention Impacts
- An interview-style session called “Tackling Dropout: Ministries of Education Reflect” will be held at the end of the two-day session.
To visit the School Dropout Prevention Lab, click here.
Results from 4-country School Dropout Prevention Pilot Program
With support from USAID, Creative led a consortium of partners working on a five-year, four-country applied research project called the “School Dropout Prevention Pilot Program,” which explored the drivers of dropout and then engaged government ministries, educators, communities, parents and students in sustainable solutions. The target countries in the program are Cambodia, India, Tajikistan and Timor-Leste.
Findings from the pilot will be shared by the country teams and Ministries of Education during the conference, along with other program strategies and research. The pilot was carried out by CARE International, Kampuchean Action for Primary Education, QUEST Alliance and Creative.
In addition to representatives from the four countries in the pilot, delegates from Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, Bangladesh and elsewhere will attend.
“There is not a single, simple solution to preventing dropout,” says Charito Kruvant, Creative’s CEO. “Different approaches to address dropout have been tried, with varying degrees of success. This is an opportunity to review and discuss these efforts and what countries are planning in order to ensure that children successfully complete their education.”
About USAID & Creative Associates International
The U.S. Agency for International Development is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. (www.usaid.gov)
Creative Associates International works with underserved communities by sharing expertise and experience in education, economic growth, governance and transitions from conflict to peace. (www.CreativeAssociatesInternational.com)
To visit the School Dropout Prevention Lab, click here.