GradNation Community Summits

America’s Promise Alliance is working with community partners to convene 100 GradNation Community Summits across the country through 2016. The GradNation Community Summits will hasten the United States’ progress towards reaching the GradNation campaign goals. America’s Promise’s goal for the community summits is to fuel local collaborative action to increase high school graduation rates.
In 100 communities across the country, leaders from businesses, civic organizations, non-profits, local government, public schools, higher education, foundations and faith-based organizations will join with parents and young people to develop a blueprint to accelerate progress. The communities hosting a GradNation Community Summit will identify the most critical problems in their local area and the groups most affected. Through their summit they will highlight promising solutions that can be integrated into their community. At the heart of these plans will be the Five Promises, the wraparound services that dramatically increase a young person’s chance of success: caring adults, safe places, an effective education, a healthy start and opportunities to help others.
GradNation Community Summits Video
Each community hosting a summit will use its convening to create greater awareness, engagement and coordinated action around increasing graduation rates — all leading to better outcomes for local young people. Emerging will be an action plan to guide future work.
Join the Conversation
Follow @Americaspromise on Twitter and use the hashtag #GradNation to join the conversation!
Learn more about the #GradNation campaign & our 100 Community Summits across the country through 2016: http://t.co/KTpYDziuV2 h/t @ATT
— America's Promise (@AmericasPromise) March 4, 2015
Community Summit Locations
The first 14 Summits were held in 2013, with the remainder occurring through 2016. This series builds on the success of 105 Dropout Prevention Summits led by America’s Promise between 2008 and 2010. Confirmed locations for 2016 include the following:
- Akron, OH (January 7, 2016)
- Anchorage, AK (April 9, 2016)
- Ann Arbor, MI (October 14, 2016)
- Asheville, NC (March 12, 2015)
- Austin, TX (April 27, 2015)
- Baltimore, MD (December 13, 2016)
- Baton Rouge, LA (October 29, 2016)
- Berkeley, CA (March 7-11, 2016)
- Boston, MA (October 14, 2016)
- Camden, NJ (October 13, 2016)
- Charles Town, WV (June 5, 2015)
- Chattanooga, TN (July 21, 2015)
- Chicago, IL (November 3, 2016)
- Colorado Springs, CO (May 4, 2016)
- Columbia, SC (September 21, 2016)
- Columbus, OH (April 7, 2016)
- Compton, CA (April 30, 2016)
- Dayton, OH (May 16, 2015)
- Denver, CO (May 7, 2015)
- Des Moines, IA (April 6, 2016)
- Detroit, MI (May 5, 2016)
- Flint, MI (May 21, 2015)
- Fort Worth, TX (October 10, 2016)
- Fresno, CA (October 20, 2015)
- Gary, IN (March 9, 2016)
- Greenville, SC (January 25, 2016)
- South Hampton Roads, VA (March 4, 2015)
- Hartford, CT (April 16, 2015)
- Kalamazoo, MI (October 14, 2016)
- Kansas City, MO (September 1, 2015)
- Knox County, KY (June 15, 2015)
- Las Cruces, NM (April 1, 2016)
- Little Rock, AR (April 22, 2015)
- Long Island, NY (March 9, 2016)
- Lorain County, OH (October 17, 2016)
- Milwaukee, WI (December 8, 2016)
- Modesto, CA (October 19, 2016)
- Nashville, TN (May 12, 2016)
- New Haven, CT (November 2016)
- New York City, NY (November 10, 2015)
- Northfield, MN (December 9, 2016)
- Orlando, FL (September 9, 2015)
- Philadelphia, PA (June 12, 2015)
- Phoenix, AZ (April 10, 2015)
- Pinellas County, FL (March 30, 2016)
- Pittsburgh, PA (March 6, 2015)
- Sacramento, CA (October 8, 2015)
- Salt Lake City, UT (April 11, 2015)
- San Diego, CA (October 20, 2016)
- Santa Fe, NM (November 18, 2015)
- Sarasota County, FL (October 21, 2016)
- Schenectady, NY (May 25, 2016)
- Silicon Valley, CA (May 2, 2015)
- Stockton, CA (April 11, 2015)
- Tampa, FL (March 4, 2015)
- Toledo, OH (April 27, 2016)
- Tulsa, OK (January 8, 2016)
- Union City, CA (September 24, 2016)
- Valparaiso, IN (November 13, 2015)
- Ventura County, CA (September 10, 2016)
- Wake County, NC (April 29, 2016)
- Washington, DC (November 7, 2016)
- Wilkes-Barre, PA (October 28, 2016)
- Wilmington, DE (April 26, 2016)
- Wilmington, NC (December 1, 2015)
- Worcester, MA (March 2017)
Learn More about past GradNation Community Summits
Visit GradNation.org
Join the online community and access resources to support the GradNation campaign!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Download the FAQ (pdf)
The GradNation Community Summits are made possible by AT&T.
Updated September 8, 2016