PROFIT IN EDUCATION: Education efforts contribute to improved graduation rates.
United Way's Profit in Education© initiative was launched in 1990,
at a time when the St. Joseph area had the highest unemployment rate
in the state. P.I.E. mobilized the community to promote education
so that qualified applicants would stand ready to take jobs as they
became available. This collaboration among local businesses, schools,
human service agencies, labor, and the media has contributed to a
dramatic turnaround in the high school dropout rate from 26.5% in
1990 to 12% last year (cumulative over four years). During
the same period, there has also been a significant increase in the
number of former dropouts who have enrolled in Adult Basic Education
and completed G.E.D.s. Over the past two years, the St. Joseph Area
Chamber of Commerce has partnered with United Way's Profit in Education
program to promote life-long learning through Another
Smart Move.
