The Vermont Middle Level Promise Steering Committee agenda discusses strategies for addressing dropout rates among students, with a particular focus on youth involvement and multi-sector collaboration. The committee plans to create various subcommittees to tackle communication, program events, youth participation, finance, and post-summit follow-up. The summit aims to engage the community in understanding the impacts of dropouts and developing preventative measures to ensure academic success for students by the end of 8th grade.

1. VT's Middle Level Promise Steering Committee Agenda June 23, 2009 12:30 – 1:30 Introductory Activity Background Information Questions to Answer – Knowing that we want this VT Middle Level Promise Dropout Summit to be different and standout from any other conference, and knowing that our youth will be directly impacted by this conference what can we the steering committee do to make that difference? How can my role in my organization/my connections with my region, have an impact or make a difference on a student who might be a drop out statistic? 1:30 – 3:00 Multi-sectored regional committee structure – Choose a chair or co/chairs. Review folders and strategize steps: who will do what, by when, what resources are needed, how will they be obtained? Committees to be formed 1. Communication – Publicity : 2. Summit Program Events- 3. Youth Participation – 4. Finance – 5. Post Summit Follow Up and Communication 3:00 – 3:30 Committee Reports Commitments Cards –

2. Vermont’s middle level promise Steering Committee June 23, 2009 VT's Middle Level Promise

3. The America’s Promise Alliance uses the Five Promises framework to improve the odds for young people. Five Promises : Caring Adults Safe Places Healthy Start Effective Education Opportunities to Help Others VT’s Middle Level Promise – America’s Promise Alliance Dropout Prevention Summit October 29, 2009

4. Percentage of Total Dropouts who Leave Public High Schools and the Grade During Which They Leave Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, HigherEdInfo.org, Education Research Center, EdWeek, U.S. Census Why Middle School?

5. Ready for the Real World

6. VAMLE’s Focus Develop a preventative emphasis for midway in the educational continuum. Create the partnerships to bring focus and collaboration by uniting efforts of support for all 10 – 14 year olds in the state. Dedicated to helping all students be successful: willing and ready to pursue a career or college education

7. because:

8. Challenges and Opportunity VT enjoys a unique diversity of configurations of institutions which support the middle level age group.

9. 8th graders were more than twice as likely as 12th graders to have been in a physical fight during the past year (38% vs. 17%) and over two times more likely than 12th graders to fight on school property (20% vs. 8%).

10. 8th graders were two and a half times more likely than 12th graders to have been a victim of bullying (26% vs. 10%)

11. 26% of 8th graders reported that someone stole or deliberately damaged their property on school grounds.

12. 20% of 8th graders felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least 2 weeks during the past 12 months that they stopped doing some usual activities.

13. 38% of 8th graders spend three or more hours per school day watching TV, playing video games, or using the computer for fun, a level related to obesity and aggressive or violent behavior.

14. 15% of 8th graders have had sexual intercourse.[1] And 6% of middle schoolers have had sexual intercourse before the age of 13[1]

15. Economic implications of keeping VT kids in school: A 5 percent reduction in Vermont’s male dropout rate = a combination of savings and revenue of over $9 million in reduced crime spending and increased earnings in Vermont each year.

16. We Can Work together to: Develop by the end of 8 th grade, the skills, motivation and commitment for attaining a high school diploma . Since… “The level of academic achievement that students attain by 8 th grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate from high school than any that happens academically in high school.” Act 2008

17. Summit Goals To inform statewide community of the social, emotional, and financial, costs of high school dropouts. To engage multi-sector collaboration for successful practices for those students who are considering or experiencing conditions in each region of the state, which would lead to their dropping out.

18. Summit Success Youth agencies are well represented in all geographic regions 2. Significant student involvement –voices are heard and acted on.

19. 3. Increased student academic success by 8th grade , specifically for those students currently showing little growth or declining scores (Hock MSNAB.2009) 4. A commitment of agencies to carry out the regional action steps through mini grant process.

20. 5. An adherence to a long term reporting system. 6. Wide sharing of community activities

21. This is not a meeting, it is the beginning of a movement.

22. Whoever comes, is the right people. Whatever happens is the only thing that could happen. Be prepared to be surprised.

23. Questions Knowing that we want this VT Middle Level Promise Dropout Summit to be different and standout from any other conference, and knowing that our youth will be directly impacted by this conference what can we the steering committee do to make that difference? How can my role in my organization/my connections with my region, have an impact or make a difference on a student who might be a drop out statistic?

24. http:// www.login.icohere.com /summits [email_address] 10214years