Whatever It Takes

Fifty years ago graduating from high school allowed the graduate to have a good job, earn a steady income, and provide for his or her family. That is no longer true. A post-secondary education is now necessary to be a productive member of society. The economic costs of under-educating our children are staggering and have become a massive burden on our community. Whatever It Takes seeks to ensure that every child in Athens-Clarke County will graduate from a post-secondary education. We, along with our partners, will accomplish this through emphasizing early intervention, focusing existing services in a limited geographic area, creating a culture of success, and using data to direct to policy. Today, graduating from high school is simply not enough. The marketplace has changed such that using high school graduation as the final educational benchmark is clearly inadequate. High school graduation must be followed by another quality educational experience to ensure each child's ability to successfully compete in a global economy.