American Graduate

"American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen” is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to help local communities across the country address the dropout crisis. CPB, in partnership with America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is working with public media stations in 20 "Hub Markets" where the dropout crisis is most acute to raise awareness of the issue and coordinate action with community partners – all with the goal of helping students stay on course to graduate from high school.

The WCTE American Graduate Student Video Contest

Participating students and their teacher/sponsor are asked to create a one-minute video Public Service Announcement conveying the message to “stay in school.” The videos will be reviewed and if selected will be posted on WCTE’s YouTube Channel. A panel of judges selected by WCTE will determine the contest winners.

Click Here for Rules & Info

The Initiative

• Public television and radio stations in 61 markets – including 20 “hubs” and 41 additional stations that received grants through the National Center for Media Engagement (NCME) – with above average dropout rates will develop local partnerships and collaborations to engage at-risk youth, as well as create new content to increase awareness of the issue and best practices that parents, teachers and others can access.
• In addition, some of public radio and public television’s most recognized and impactful programs will focus greater attention on the dropout crisis, including causes and best practices to stem the tide while engaging diverse communities to weigh in on the topic, including:

o PBS NewsHour will expand Student Reporting Labs to challenge students to report, problem solve and investigate important topics.

o StoryCorps, the award-winning public radio oral history project, will launch a National Teachers Initiative to collect the stories of America’s educators and also to develop a new, story-based curriculum to help students develop literacy skills. StoryCorps will be launched in three cities in the fall of 2011.

o Roadtrip Nation, the public television series and outreach movement that engages and trains youth, will develop tool kits, locally-customized station community portals and conduct road trips and interviews to Hub markets.

WCTE is one of the 41 additional stations that received grants through the National Center for Media Engagement (NCME) and is currently working with East Tennessee PBS, WKNO, First Lady of Tennessee Crissy Haslam and the Department of Education Center for Dropout Prevention.

AmericanGraduate.org
Facebook.com/AmericanGraduate