Latest news on what businesses are doing to support dropout prevention

AT&T Awards $312,000 Grant to Jobs for Mississippi Graduates
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced November 5 that it is On the Bus with a four-year, $312,000 grant to Jobs for Mississippi Graduates (JMG).  The grant will fund expansion of JMG’s dropout prevention program to three additional high schools: Columbia, Greenville, and Hazlehurst. Click here to read more.

The MEC Marathon Tour: Building Our Competitive Future
The Mississippi Economic Council’s Marathon Tour made stops in 26 cities across the state this fall. Topics included: how Mississippi is approaching early childhood education and dropout prevention, updates on Momentum Mississippi, workforce development and teacher retention. Click here for more.

Comcast Spotlight and Junior Achievement of Mississippi
Scherry Gilliland, President and Chief Executive Officer of Junior Achievement, and Mississippi State Superintendent of Education Dr. Hank M. Bounds have filmed a 30-second commercial and a two-minute video, produced by Comcast Spotlight, highlighting Junior Achievement’s role in public education, dropout prevention, and the ‘On the Bus’ campaign. The commercial will be seen statewide and the video is available on Comcast Spotlight’s new Video on Demand service. Junior Achievement impacts the quality of young people’s lives by educating and inspiring them to value free enterprise, to understand business and economics, and to be better prepared for the workforce. Its programs impact elementary, middle, and high school students across Mississippi. For information on how you can become a Junior Achievement volunteer, visit their website, www.mississippi.ja.org. To watch the video, click here.

Nissan North America
Donated $100,000 to fund dropout prevention initiatives in 10 Central Mississippi school districts, in areas where most of the Canton automotive manufacturer's employees live. Funding will be allocated among the school districts based on current dropout rates. read more

Peavey Electronics

Designed a custom 'On the Bus' guitar, with proceeds going to support the Mississippi Afterschool Alliance and its goal of expanding afterschool programs to serve the almost 100,000 school children who are unsupervised every afternoon across Mississippi. Peavey Electronics, aMeridian-based manufacturer of musical instruments and professional sound equipment, also sponsors the annual 'Lights On Afterschool Meridian' event to draw attention to the need for afterschool programs. Afterschool opportunities is one of four basic core strategies recommended for effective dropout prevention by the National Dropout Prevention Center. For more information, visit www.AfterschoolMS.org.

Rives Neblett

Shelby businessman and attorney Rives Neblett made a significant contribution to establish Peer Power, a new mentoring and tutoring program that will be implemented by North Bolivar School District in the fall of 2008. High school students will mentor and tutor - as a paid, part-time job - 7th grade students at Shelby Middle School.