Graduation rates

Education has garnered attention lately with the release of the documentary "Waiting for Superman." While the Cape Girardeau School District has produced many outstanding graduates, including several National Merit finalists, overall graduation rates are a concern.

The United Way recently completed a yearlong study to understand the critical issues facing our community. Graduate rates were on the list.

While the organization has plans to further address this issue, they are currently making strides to improve student academic progress through the LIFE initiative.

LIFE, which stands for Leading and Inspiring Families to Excel, is a program that helps students at risk of academic failure. The initiative is in its fifth year and uses a collaborative approach with area schools to offer after-school programs. The result has been growing student participation, higher attendance rates, better grades and fewer disciplinary issues.

While graduation rates have dropped to 73 percent, it's reasonable to assume this statistic will improve as more students become involved in the programs sponsored by LIFE.

While we applaud the United Way's efforts, the key to success in education is parental involvement. If parents are committed, the students will be as well.