"Building a Grad Nation" discussion scheduled for Friday

John Bridgeland of Civic Enterprises, Robert Balfanz of the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University and Marguerite Kondracke of the America's Promise Alliance will be the featured speakers at "Building a Grad Nation: Signs of Success and the Road Ahead" a webinar hosted by Education Week on Dec. 17, from 1 to 2 p.m., Eastern time. Free registration is now open.

The conversation will center on the "Building a Grad Nation," report by the America's Promise Alliance. The report, called "required reading for anyone interested in public education in America" by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, highlights nationwide improvements in the battle to end the dropout epidemic (for instance: more than half of all states increased their statewide graduation rate from 2002 to 2008 and the number of "dropout factories" fell by 13 percent from 2007 to 2008.) The report's positive findings have been questioned by some, however, who note that data collection processes and the shifting of at-risk students may have affected the Alliance's conclusions. Some have pointed out that the overall graduation rate rose very little in the six-year span covered by the report (from 72 percent in 2002 to 75 percent in 2008).

The session will be moderated by AT&T Foundation President Laura Sanford — and will be archived and accessible "on demand" for up to six months after the original live-streaming date.