Press Releases

For Immediate Release: 2 February 2010

National Dropout-Prevention Expert and Virgin Islands Education Stakeholders Convene to “Keep Our Kids in School”

Boston, Mass. — The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education will co-host a Policy Challenges Conference on dropout prevention — “Bridging Research and Practice: Keeping Our Kids in School” — with national education expert Dr. Russell Rumberger at the University of the Virgin Islands on February 9, 2010.

Dr. Rumberger, professor of education at the University of California at Santa Barbara and a widely respected researcher on the dropout issue, will give a keynote address on a set of research-based recommendations from the Dropout Prevention Practice Guide published by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

The economic and social consequences of leaving school without a high-school diploma have a profound impact on students and society. In 2006–07, 13.8 percent of U.S.V.I. teens were estimated to be high-school dropouts by U.S.V.I. KidsCount. By contrast, 7 percent of U.S. teens age 16–19 were estimated to be high-school dropouts in the same period.

Key education leaders and policymakers from the V.I. Board of Education, the V.I. Legislature, and the University of the Virgin Islands, among others, will come together in a daylong strategy meeting. “Lowering the dropout rate is a priority for Governor John P. deJongh and the Department of Education,” said U.S.V.I. Education Commissioner Dr. La Verne Terry. “I am delighted to welcome Dr. Rumberger to St. Thomas to present evidence-based recommendations to address this problem and am grateful to REL-NEI for providing this platform for discussion.”

“The Regional Educational Laboratories bring research to practitioners and policymakers to help them make the best decisions to successfully deal with their education challenges,” said REL-NEI Director Jill Weber. “We are excited to be able to host this discussion with Commissioner Terry and to welcome so many key stakeholders into the conversation.”

After a series of presentations, attendees will participate in discussions co-facilitated by REL-NEI, the V.I. Department of Education, and the Region II Equity Assistance Center about local laws, policies, and practices needed to reduce dropout rates and increase student attendance in V.I. schools.

Sandra Espada-Santos, REL-NEI’s liaison to the Virgin Islands, said: “We want to come away from the day’s conference with some core action items for policymakers and attendees.”

Key participants at the conference include:

• Honorable Wayne James, Senator and Chairperson, Senate Committee on Education, Youth and Culture
• Honorable La Verne Terry, Ed. D., Commissioner, V.I. Department of Education; REL-NEI Governing Board
• Mrs. Winona Hendricks, Chair, V.I. Board of Education
• Mrs. Carol Henneman, Executive Director, V.I. Board of Education; REL-NEI Governing Board
• Dr. David Hall, President, University of the Virgin Islands
• Ms. Janine Schuster, Deputy Superintendent, St. Croix District
• Ms. Cira Burke, Director of Intervention Services, St. Thomas–St. John District
• Mrs. Dee Baecher-Brown, President, V.I. Community Foundation; REL-NEI Governing Board
• Ms. Jill Weber, Director, REL-NEI
• Ms. Janet Phlegar, Director of State Relations, REL-NEI
• Dr. Velma Cobb, Director, Region II Equity Assistance Center

Review the Agenda

The conference will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Administrative and Conference Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas Campus. Members of the media are invited to attend.

For more information on this event, contact Sandra Espada-Santos, REL-NEI Liaison to the U.S. Virgin Islands, at saespada@gmail.com.

The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) is run by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and WestEd’s Learning Innovations program. REL-NEI is one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. REL-NEI provides rigorous research that is relevant to national education priorities, responsive to local needs, and usable for policy and practice. Visit www.relnei.org.

This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under Contract Number ED-06-CO-0025. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. Visit www.edc.org.