Need for Starfish grows as city’s graduation rate ranking drops

April 28, 2009 – The 2009 update to the America’s Promise Alliance and Editorial Projects in Education “Crisis in Cities” report highlights the growing need for Starfish Initiative.

The report, released earlier this month, ranks the 50 largest cities in the country based on graduation rates. Indianapolis was ranked 50th of the 50 cities, with a 30.5 percent graduation rate. In the 2008 report, Indianapolis was 49th of 50.

“Calling Indianapolis’ graduation rate a ‘crisis in the city’ is in no way an understatement,” said Executive Director Joyce Johnson. “This is the single biggest issue facing the city. It is a crisis, indeed, that so few of the city’s young people are getting the education they need.”

The report also showed that while there has been some improvement in the graduation rate in urban districts in Indianapolis, the graduation rate in suburban districts is dropping, indicating the problem is not confined to the central city. The report ranks Indianapolis 10th for the size of the gap between urban and suburban graduation rates (lower rankings on this scale indicate a larger gap).

Starfish Scholars are bucking the regional graduation trend as 100 percent have graduated high school and are currently enrolled in post-secondary education.

Ninth-grade, the report revealed, is the year when the greatest number of students are lost.

Starfish Initiative begins working with academically promising, economically disadvantaged students in the summer before their freshmen year of high school, teaching study skills, ensuring students are ready for the rigors of high school math, and most importantly, matching them with mentors who will be committed to their personal success.

“The ‘Crisis in Cities’ report shows the very real need for students to have a caring adult helping them stay focused on education and achieving their goals,” Johnson said. “Being 50th out 50 should be a rallying cry for adults in this community to step up and make a difference in the life of a student.”

Starfish will serve 300 students across Marion County during the 2009-10 school; 100 of these students will be new high school freshmen. Each of these students will be matched with an individual mentor, or “college coach.” Mentors provide personalized encouragement, expose students to new experiences and help the student stay on track to graduation and accessing post-secondary education.

“One adult can significantly impact the future of one student,” Johnson said. “This crisis can be reversed.”

For more information about Starfish Initiative and mentoring, call 955-7912.