Stay in School! 2007 May The Black Star Project

Stay in School! The Best Schools and Teachers Teach their Students to Learn How to Learn and Not to Depend on Schools and Teachers.
To Reduce High School Dropouts, Share this Contract with Elementary School Students!
By dropping out of school I acknowledge that:
1. I will be less likely to find good jobs that pay well, bad jobs that don't pay well, or maybe any jobs.2. I will not be able to afford many things that I will see others acquiring.3. I will be more likely to get caught up in criminal activity and illegal behaviors.4. I will be more likely to become involved with drugs and excessively involved with alcohol.5. I will be more likely to spend time in jail or prison.6. I will be less likely to have a good, stable marriage or relationship.7. I will not have many choices about where to live. My low economic status will require that I live in undesirable locations8. I will be considerably less able to properly care for and educate my children.9. My children will be more likely to follow in my footsteps and drop out of high school, creating multiple generations of despair and poverty. 10. Most of my friends and associates will also be high school dropouts.11. I will be more likely not to vote or to lose my voting rights.12. In short, although I will not, technically lose my rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; in reality I will lose these rights by losing the ability to exercise them.
The Choice Is Yours:

I understand that by dropping out of school, I am voluntarily giving away my rights, privileges and opportunities. I also understand that by doing so, the quality of my life and the lives of my loved ones will be dramatically decreased.
_________________________ ________
signature date
or
I will not drop out of school. Instead I will do whatever it takes to graduate from high school and pursue higher education and/or other viable trades or professions that will help me control the quality of my life and my family's life. I have the ability to accomplish this goal, and I fully intend to take advantage of it.
___________________________________________
signature date
Stay in School!

This "Contract" was produced by The Black Star Project; it is not a real legal document. Services for this flyer were donated by the law firm of Foley and Lardner. For more information about educating Black, Brown, low-income, ethnic and urban children, please call 312/842-3527 or visit our website at www.blackstarproject.org.
Click here to download a pdf version of the contract from our website

How Much Money Do You Want to Make? This Is What You Are Projected to Make in Your Lifetime of Working at these Educational Levels*:

High School Dropout: $ 750,000
High School Diplom $ 1,100,000
Bachelor's Degree: $ 2,100,000
Master's Degree: $ 2,500,000
Doctorate: $ 4,400,000

*According to the 2000 U.S. Census
Without a High School Diploma, Young Black Men in America Are Obsolete!
The Lowest Estimated Graduation Rates for Black Males in 25 Districts with Black Male Enrollments of 10,000 or More During the 2003-2004 School Year Are as Follows (Remember, these are Graduation Rates, not Drop-Out Rates):
District Enrollment Black Male White Male Gap
Indianapolis, IN 12,032 21% 22% 1%
Pinellas County, FL 11,448 21% 42% 20%
Cincinnati, OH 14,038 25% 43% 19%
Chatham County, GA 11,516 25% 46% 20%
New York, NY 174,412 26% 50% 24%
Duval County, FL 28,584 26% 44% 18%
Oakland, CA 10,667 26% 57% 30%
Orange County, FL 23,857 27% 50% 23%
Palm Beach County, FL 25,591 29% 54% 25%
Richmond County, GA 12,221 30% 38% 8%
Norfolk, VA 12,708 30% 43% 13%
Detroit, MI 69,995 31% 29% -2%
Dade County, FL 54,406 31% 54% 23%
Baltimore City, MD 41,811 31% 38% 7%
Clark County, NV 19,637 31% 49% 17%
Rochester, NY 11,299 32% 49% 17%
Buffalo, NY 12,193 33% 49% 16%
Cleveland, OH 24,887 33% 37% 7%
Clayton County, GA 18,634 33% 30% -3%
Milwaukee, WI 29,170 34% 64% 30%
Hillsborough, FL 21,170 34% 57% 24%
Atlanta, GA 22,784 35% 63% 28%
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC 25,729 35% 62% 27%
Houston, TX 31,698 35% 58% 23%
Chicago, IL 109,118 35% 57% 22% From: Holzman, M., (2006) Public Education and Black Male Students: A State Report Card. Schott Education Inequity Index, Cambridge, MA; The Schott Foundation for Public Education. Call The Black Star Project at 312/842-3527 or visit our website at www.Blackstarproject.org for more information about educating Black children. You may read the complete Schott Foundation report at http://www.schottfoundation.org/publications/Schott%202006%20Report%20draft.pdf..



To learn more about becoming a member of The Black Star Project or to volunteer as a mentor for schools, please visit our website at www.blackstarproject.org or call Eleanor Perrone, Director of Development, at (312) 842-3527.Your support is needed to help us accomplish our goal of successfully educating Black children, as well as all children. We simply cannot provide these services without the support of the people who understand the importance education in the lives of children.

Sincerely,
Phillip JacksonThe Black Star Project(312)842-3527blackstar1000@ameritech.netrelationship.