American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen 4:15 pm Tue December 27,
2011  American Graduate: Pushouts  WWNO's first in a three-part
series of feature reports in conjunction with "American
Graduate: Let's Make It Happen"; a public media initiative made
possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help
local communities find solutions to address the dropout crisis.
We're taking a look at issues involving public schools in New
Orleans, with Dr. Andre Perry of Loyola University reviewing
problems in the education system, how New Orleans is faring, and
what's on the horizon for improvements.  Education reform in
Louisiana and most notably New Orleans has been highly focused
on redesigning and creating schools that prepare students for
selective four-year colleges and universities. However,
understanding early school departure, a.k.a. dropout, remains to
be a problem that needs innovation. "Seventeen percent that's
roughly 1 and 6 students don't finish high school in this state.
That's a troubling number."