Education

Last year’s high school dropouts will cost North Carolina an estimated $4.4 billion in lost income, taxes and productivity over the students’ lifetimes, according to a recent Alliance for Excellent Education report.[1] Although most people understand that education level affects income, it may come as a surprise just how much of a difference a high […]

As part of United Way’s Collective Impact Initiative for Children & Youth, The Larry King Center of the Council for Children’s Rights conducted a comprehensive literature review of factors that influence school dropout and graduation rates. This summary table is one of three products from this research and categorizes the dropout predictors by developmental timeframe […]

As part of United Way’s Collective Impact Initiative for Children & Youth, The Larry King Center of the Council for Children’s Rights conducted a comprehensive literature review of factors that influence school dropout and graduation rates. This annotated bibliography is one of three products from this research and presents more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles […]

As part of United Way’s Collective Impact Initiative for Children & Youth, The Larry King Center of the Council for Children’s Rights conducted a comprehensive review of dropout prevention programs. This summary table presents information about research-informed dropout interventions and practices being put into action across the country. The following information is included for each […]

In this period of high unemployment, not everyone has suffered equally. Two populations of particular concern are veterans and youth. Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont provides services to both of these populations and is a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable populations in the Charlotte region. The agency is continuing its innovation and […]

Two of UNC Charlotte’s most visible institutes are merging to create a combined center with unparalleled research capacity to address social issues in the Charlotte region. On March 8, the Institute for Social Capital (ISC) board of directors and UNC Charlotte agreed to merge the ISC staff and operations into the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, […]

Only 65 percent of economically disadvantaged students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools graduate on time, compared to 74 percent of all students. United Way of Central Carolinas aims to diminish this disparity with a new, innovative program. United Way of Central Carolinas announced Thursday, Feb. 23, the beginning of a new initiative to improve academic success for […]

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute now has office space in the university’s Center City Building. Although the institute will continue to be headquartered on the main campus, several staff members and institute Director Jeff Michael are now regularly spending some time each week in the uptown facility. The Center City Building offers the institute new […]

What are the greatest needs facing our community? United Way of Central Carolinas posed this question to Mecklenburg County residents via the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute’s Annual Survey last spring. The survey found the greatest perceived community health need is preventive care; the greatest perceived need for children and youth is dropout prevention; the greatest […]

In Garrison Keillor’s mythical hometown of Lake Wobegon, all the children are above average. In terms of where the college-educated live, there are a few Lake Wobegons, and then there is everywhere else. In North Carolina, the state’s top two cities, with their higher concentrations of college-educated residents and their population heft, boost the state’s […]