LA Unified School District – Give Stanford a Call!

I see where a new campaign is underway in Los Angeles to reduce the horrific drop out rate that is facing the city. The new effort targets the drop outs at one of the most likely places to find them, the Internet.

Utilizing both YouTube and MySpace, the efforts seek to target those most likely to consider dropping out of the system. As part of the campaign, the Los Angeles Unified School District is also sponsoring a new website, www.MyFutureMyDecision.com.

Featuring information regarding a plethora of options for students to earn their degree, the overwhelming message will be to go back to school. The YouTube and MySpace sites will feature testimonials from former drop outs.

We couldn’t help but wonder if LA should be seeking out the professors and the students involved in the new Stanford Facebook course. With Stanford students required to complete two software applications that utilize that popular site and one of the two being an educational purpose, teaming the folks up would seem to be a perfect fit. Using the dropout issue as a catalyst, the students at Stanford would actually be adding community service component to the new course.

As it is the new site highlights alternative ways of earning a diploma and describes the district’s many options of getting back into school. With roughly one in every four students dropping out during the 2006 school year alone, the LA school district has set a goal of reducing the drop out rate by 5% this year.