Speakers:

Terry Cooke: President & CEO, Hamilton Community Foundation

Matt Goodman: ABACUS program, Hamilton

Jennifer Pearson: Program Manager, Gradtrack

Moderator: Patrick Case, Chief Equity Officer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Education Equity Secretariat, Ministry of Education

Overview:

The Hamilton Community Foundation, in partnership with local school boards, is working to improve the academic, community, and environmental factors that affect students’ likelihood of continuing their education.  The goal of the ABACUS program is to improve high-school graduation rates and students’ access to post-secondary education, by focusing on the “middle-school years”:  Grades 6, 7, 8 and the transition to grade 9. Find out what they’re doing in Hamilton, and get some practical tips about things that could be done in your board or school.