Dear Residents,

More than one million American students drop out of high school every year. That’s one student every 26 seconds, nearly 7,000 students every school day. Dropping out of high school affects not only the student’s future but the future of our families and community as well. To those who drop-out of school, the range of employment or advancement in employment is limited. Most lack health insurance or affordable health insurance and, quite often, find themselves in need of public programs or social services.

The Pittsburgh Promise was developed as a commitment to help City students and families plan, prepare and pay for higher education and keep them in school. By joining forces with the Pittsburgh schools, universities and foundations in implementing the Pittsburgh Promise, the City of Pittsburgh continues to remain invested in its student’s education beyond the limits of high school.

As part of the national America’s Promise Alliance Dropout Prevention campaign and in a continuing effort to develop a localized action plan to increase graduation rates and improve college readiness in our communities, the City of Pittsburgh is sponsoring a free one-day summit at the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh on November 12, 2009. The summit will be an opportunity for both School Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and myself to discuss the progress of the Pittsburgh Promise and the importance of being Promise Ready. Together we will present a “Community-wide Strategy to Combat the Drop-out Crisis” featuring a dropout data presentation from the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board

The summit is a starting point in the process of re-engaging dropouts and retaining youth through graduation. We can’t do it without you. To register for the Graduate Pittsburgh Summit, please call 412-225-2258/2637 or visit www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/graduatepittsburgh. I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Luke Ravenstahl
Mayor, City of Pittsburgh