Pictures taken during the two-day summit July27-28 at the University of Maine in Orono.

1. Maine’s Dropout
Prevention Summit
2009
What we learned

2. The New 3 R's
Promising Schools Where
Everyone Matters

3. The Voice of Maine’s
Youth
Don’t call me a dropout

4. I am not…
• A Deadbeat
• A loser
• Someone who doesn’t care
about my future
• Someone who is going no where
I am a person

5. Am I still a deadbeat?
• I want to make something of myself
• I do have drive
• I don’t want to be just a number
• Now I know I am going to college
• I have a picture with me in my cap
and gown holding my son, in a few
years we will take another picture-
this time my son will be wearing the
cap and gown

6. The next time you hear
the word dropout
• Think of the person
• Think of the situation
• Do what ever it takes

12. President Obama
• “… It will be the goal of this
administration to ensure that
every child has access to
complete and competitive
education, from the day they
are born to the day they begin a
career. That is a promise we
have to make to the children of
America.”

13. Weaving the strands of the
summit together
• America’s Promise Alliance 5 Promises:
1. Caring Adults
2. Healthy Start
3. Safe Places in and after school
4. Opportunity to give back
5. Marketable Skills
• Listen to our youth
• Honor youth and families history
• Avoid Labels
• Connect the dots: Create a plan

14. Maine joined with 49
other states
• To make school completion a
priority. You are part of a national
movement to give all students the
opportunity to graduate from high
school, ready for college and work
• You made history!

31. Words from the
Children’s Cabinet
• Multiple Pathways
• Drop the Jargon
• Cross system data sharing
• Focus on strengths and assets of our
youth and their parents/caregivers
• Identify barriers (policy and
practices) getting in way of success
• Keep pushing us—we will back you
up when its possible

36. Summit Weaving
• Exhibitors share supportive
youth practices
• Participants figure out what
Maine has and what it needs
• The Maine Dropout Prevention
Plan is committed to paper.

51. Supportive youth practices
in the exhibit area
• Basic Core Strategies
• School and Community
• Early Interventions
• Making the Most of Instruction

52. It even “snowed” in July
Workgroups identified
• Strengths
• Needs
• Opportunities
• Worries
• Top priorities for the state and
communities to tackle

82. • Giving up on students is not a
productive solution for anyone-Robert
Balfanz
• If we knew what to do to support our
youth would we do it?
The Outliers, Malcom Getwell
Will we do it?

83. You answered the call
Are you ready to do
• Whatever it takes
• To get to 90% Graduation rate

84. Next Steps
• Go back to your community
• Start conversations with youth,
parents, teachers, agencies,
businesses
• Hold a summit to rally your community
to support positive youth development
• Use data to identify priorities
• Develop an effective plan
• Build strong partnerships to make
lasting change happen

85. Thank You
• For your passion
• For your commitment
• For having faith and patience
when the evidence of success
takes time to see