Public TV Telethon Takes Aims at Dropout Rates - Philanthropy ...

September 24, 2012, 10:33 am

More than 100 public television stations aired a seven-hour telethon Saturday to promote efforts to improve high school retention rates as nonprofit broadcasters ramped up a national anti-dropout campaign, writes The New York Times.

The broadcast featuring NBC anchorman Brian Williams, CBS?s Rebecca Jarvis, and other prominent news-media figures asked viewers to sign up as ?American Graduate Day Champions? and connect with groups in their communities addressing the dropout issue.

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other supporters, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has disbursed $5-million in grants to public TV stations and channeled another $10-million into programming in connection with the American Graduate effort.

Nearly a quarter of U.S. high school students drop out. ?I think people didn?t realize how huge the problem is, or how much success there could be and how local groups are actually making a difference,? said Neal Shapiro, president and CEO of New York station WNET, which organized the telethon.

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Source: http://philanthropy.com/blogs/philanthropytoday/public-tv-telethon-takes-aims-at-dropout-rates/54276

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