Minneapolis Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson visited Patrick Henry High School last week and told students, “Six days ago we welcomed back 32,000 students to the Minneapolis public schools. So we’re very excited about that, but we also know there are about 2,000 who are not in our schools, and we want them back.”
To combat the dropout crisis, Minneapolis Schools have teamed up with the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board and are reaching out in a “We Want You Back” campaign. The campaign is designed to raise awareness and enlist help from the community to reach the goal of re-enrolling 200 students by the end of the school year. This past Saturday, volunteers took part in a door-knocking event to identify, connect with, and invite students to return to school.
The effort has also spawned lots of news coverage, as well as PSA’s and YouTube videos featuring Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, local hip-hop artists Brother Ali and Slug from Atmosphere, and Superintendent Johnson. Check them out here:
- PSA: Brother Ali and Mayor Rybak “Want You Back”
- PSA: Slug from Atmosphere and Superintendent Johsnon “Want You Back”
- Conversation with Brother Ali
- Conversation with Mayor Rybak
- KSTP Video & Article
- MinnPost Article – Interview with Brother Ali
- MPR Article
- KARE11 Article
Mayor Rybak and Superintendent Johnson also encouraged current students to get the word out any way they know how, since peer support can be critical. Mentors can also make a difference. So get the word out, tell everyone you know! The youth in our community deserve a second chance at school so that they can start to pave their way to a more successful future.
