For Immediate Release
Date: Sept. 12, 2014

Over 250 local leaders, educators, faith-based organizations, parents, students and community members will join Mayor Edna Jackson for a community conversation on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. focused on improving afterschool learning opportunities for middle school youth in Savannah. The event will be held at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center and is organized in partnership with the National League of Cities, America’s Promise Alliance and the U.S. Department of Education. Registration for the event is closed but members of the media are invited to attend.
The community conversation’s goal is to improve the quality, quantity and access to afterschool learning opportunities for the city’s middle school students. This community conversation is one of a series of similar events held around the country resulting from a memorandum of understanding signed by the National League of Cities and the Department of Education in March. The conversations focus on early childhood education, afterschool learning and postsecondary success, and explore ways that cities are working to close the achievement gap and increase student outcomes, including non-academic outcomes such as social-emotional skills.

This event is being held in conjunction with #Choices, the America’s Promise Alliance’s Grad Nation Summit to be held on Tuesday, September 23 at the Savannah Civic Center. The summit will focus on the needs and desires of middle school students and their parents to help them successfully navigate through school towards high school graduation. Online registration is still open for the summit at www.savannahga.gov/choices.