A Promise to Our Youth

The following is a statement from State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz in support of S. 185: An Act relative to dropout prevention and recovery. To find out more about dropout rates in Massachusetts as well as United Way's prevention and recovery work, click on the Related Links to the right.

This bill is an important step in fulfilling our fundamental promise to educate all of our young people. Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education. Our commitment to education is a key part of who we are-and we know how to do things right. We have the best schools in the nation. If anyone can solve the problem of students dropping out of school, it's us.

We know that the best way to keep our students on a path to graduation is to create a comprehensive plan that addresses the root causes of why they drop out. That's the exact approach this bill takes: it's comprehensive, it's based on proven ideas from around the nation, and it asks all of the actors in our students' lives-parents, teachers, schools, districts, and the state-to own a piece of the solution.

Massachusetts is counting on us to solve this problem. We have a moral responsibility to ensure that our state's great education successes are reaching all of our young people. And our economic future depends on our preparing the next generation of skilled workers. Thank you again for coming, and I hope you'll continue to support this bill as it moves forward.