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	Forum Unites Business and Education Leaders on Dropout Prevention By Jonathan Yeomans March 26, 2008 Scott Ralls, president-elect of the North Carolina Community College System, said that the private business community can help by mentoring students or providing opportunities for them to apply the skills they've learned by offering internships, job shadowing or peer mentoring. He cited a study by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation that reports that the number one reason that students drop out is they don't see the relevance of their schoolwork outside the classroom. "Eighth and ninth-graders are very impressionable," Ralls said. "They need to see the connection between what they are doing in schools and what they'll do in the long term." For students living in rural communities where business mentors are scarce, technology can connect them to someone. That's the goal of Futures for Kids, an organization uses technology to help students discover their interests and set educational and career goals. "We look at technology as the great equalizer," said Susan Milliken, executive director of Futures for Kids. "Nothing will take the place of a face-to-face relationship, but through the program … we can provide that mentorship, that connection to the business person for that relevance." Panelists and audience members all agreed that something needed to be done soon. Bill Shore, director of Community Partnerships at GlaxoSmithKline, said that the dropout crisis was forcing the state to confront a "Sputnik-like moment." "We've had the same discussion for over 20 years," Shore said. "We don't need any more meetings, we need a movement." Goodnight closed the meeting with a challenge to all state businesses: do something to curtail the dropout rate. Business can enter the dropout challenge at www.ncchamber.net/dropoutchallenge. Jonathan Yeomans is a staff writer for NC Magazine and can be reached at jyeomans@sacherokee.com.
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