The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation was created to help educators, community leaders and other interested groups reduce the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate through the creation of relevant and effective tools and resources.
The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation was founded on the principle that “we, us and others can make one idea work,” and so far we have seen that principle adopted by many others across this country.
As true as these words are, many students (and their families) fail to recognize the importance of having an education. The statistics tell this story best:
- Each year 1.2 million high school students drop out of school
- 7,000 students drop out every school day
- Dropouts are 6 times more likely than high school graduates to commit crime and become incarcerated
- 75% of America’s prison inmates are high school dropouts
- More than 80% of prison inmates are functionally illiterate
As you can see, America finds itself in a dropout crisis.
This dropout epidemic is claiming the lives of millions of youth every 365 days. And it’s an epidemic that if not addressed aggressively, will continue to wreak havoc on families and communities in every state of our country.
As we continue to reach out and partner with others to keep our young people in school, we are encouraged by the commitment and actions we see from so many other groups and individuals that truly want to find a cure for the disease of ignorance that has infected many communities, schools and families in this country. A disease that can only be eradicated through the collaborative efforts of “we, us and others.” The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation is committed to working with others to produce relevant tools and resources to help reduce the nation’s dropout rate and increase the graduation rate.
