DATE: December 09, 2008

CONTACT: Marty Duckenfield, 864-656-2580
mbdck@clemson.edu

WRITER: Jessica Lance, 864-656-2061
jrlance@clemson.edu

Live radio webcasts offer solutions to the dropout crisis

CLEMSON — The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Clemson University has created a new live radio webcast series titled “Solutions to the Dropout Crisis,” which is presented the fourth Tuesday of every month. The center started the series to provide outreach and professional development for educators and communities about the solutions to the dropout crisis.

“The webcast has everything to do with outreach," said Marty Duckenfield, public information director for the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. "We bring in the people who have the answers to questions about dropout prevention. We target audiences that need solutions to the dropout crisis. For professionals in education, it’s like attending a workshop but they don’t have to drive; they can do it on their own time with the archived programs and without spending any money. It’s clear that it’s time to do business very differently. We are not going to let budget cuts keep us from helping people.”

The webcasts can be seen at www.dropoutprevention.org by clicking on the NDPC/N link, then the link for the live radio webcast. Previous webcasts include “The Role of the Principal in Dropout Prevention,” “From At-Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do” and “Keeping Youth in School: How Service Learning Can Help.”

Starting in January, webcasts will air the second Tuesday of every month. Each webcast includes complementary resources, from videos to monographs to links to Web sites.

When listening to the webcasts, live questions can be asked and answered by calling in toll free at 888-539-8859 or by sending an e-mail to ndpc@clemson.edu with “SOLUTIONS” as the subject.

The webcasts are produced by Clemson University Radio Productions in partnership with Clemson Computing and Information Technology, the South Carolina Department of Education and South Carolina ETV and with the support of Penn Foster.

The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network was begun in 1986 to provide solutions to the issue of dropout rates in American schools and to increase graduation rates. Its mission is to increase high school graduation rates through research and evidence-based solutions. It uses research and evaluation projects, publications and professional development activities to help solve the dropout crisis.