S.T.E.P. Up DC is a network of youth and youth-serving organizations committed to improving graduation rates in the District of Columbia. Our goal is to identify and support sound policy solutions to ensure that every student graduates prepared for higher education or meaningful employment.

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APPLY FOR THE S.T.E.P. UP DC YOUTH LEADERS FELLOWSHIP 2010!

Are you a high school aged youth in Washington, DC? Do you have leadership potential and a desire to make sure D.C. schools help all students to graduate prepared for college or a good career? Do you want to learn leadership and organizing skills? Do you like the idea of working with and learning from other youth from across the city with different opinions, views and backgrounds?

Then apply to the S.T.E.P. Up D.C. Youth Leaders Fellowship! The fellowship kicks off with a two-month Summer Institute from July 7th-August 11th, 2010. Youth who complete the fellowship will be able to take on leadership roles in the S.T.E.P. Up DC Campaign during the 2010-2011 school year. The Summer Institute will be held Wednesdays from 4:00-6:30pm at the Thurgood Marshall Center at 1816 12th St. NW, Washington, DC 20010. Click here for the application! Or email Jahi@criticalexposure.org with questions.

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Who We Are S.T.E.P. Up DC is a network of youth and youth-serving organizations committed to improving graduation rates in the District of Columbia. Our goal is to identify and support sound policy solutions to ensure that every student graduates prepared for higher education or meaningful employment. S.T.E.P. Up DC is coordinated by two D.C. nonprofits – the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates and Critical Exposure – that are convening youth groups and youth from across the city and facilitating discussions around a shared agenda to support students who have dropped out, been pushed out, or are at risk of dropping out. Together we will create a multi-pronged strategy to engage youth in a process of using surveys and photography to document factors that contribute to the dropout/pushout problem, developing a platform of potential solutions, and building the necessary public demand and political will to implement those solutions. Hearing directly from youth, those most impacted by the problem, is essential to identifying practical, experience-based solutions. To increase the academic achievement of all students and to help reengage those who have traditionally found themselves outside of the education system, we must develop policies that are based on an understanding from the youth themselves about what keeps them in school and what causes them to leave. Youth-serving organizations are uniquely situated to provide the necessary relationships, support, and structure for this project.

Why We’re Needed According to D.C.’s State Education Office, the dropout rate in D.C. is anywhere between 32% and 50%. That means, at best, only two out of three students are graduating and it could be as low as half. 30% of D.C. residents age 16 and older have no high school diploma. 36.4% of D.C. adults are functionally illiterate. The dropout problem has clear and significant consequences for both the youth themselves and our entire community:

  • High school dropouts on average earn $9,200 less per year than high school graduates and about $1 million less over a lifetime than college graduates.
  • High school dropouts are 3 times more likely to be unemployed than college graduates.
  • The rates of high-risk behaviors such as early pregnancy, crime, violence, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicide are significantly higher among dropouts.
  • Dropout rates for the class of 2007 resulted in more than $239 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity nationally.

Moving Forward: S.T.E.P. Up D.C. is currently analyzing the results of our city-wide youth survey to gain critical insights into why students drop out of school. We are also working with students and youth workers to develop a citywide policy platform to support changes that will help ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and a good job.  If you are interested in participating in S.T.E.P. Up DC, please contact: