Sanders spoke more haltingly than usual this morning, but most in the Cleveland Convention Center crowd already knew the bad news.
Sanders: "We were... disappointed....that we, went down...at an eight percent decrease."
Cleveland's graduation rate...54 percent....is lower than any of Ohio's 8 largest districts. And the district is listed near the bottom in several studies of the country's 50 biggest cities.
Jessica Nelson: "Well, for me this is All about educating the parents who are not involved."
That's Jessica Nelson, parent of a first-grader. She echoed the view of several speakers at the summit...that schools can do better, but can't do it alone.
Workshops that continue through Saturday focus heavily on parental involvement. Classes that teach parents how to discipline their children, prepare them to act as a reading coach to their children-- and there's a seminar that shows parents how to make sure their kids take the most appropriate courses to graduate on time.
Actor and education activist Bill Cosby speaks at the town-hall that ends the summit tomorrow. He's expected to state the problem very directly, asserting that parents, in particular those in the black community, are shirking their duty.
To a person, summit-goers winced when asked to respond. Stilll, many approve of Cosby's tough talk. Here's Joan Gamble, a Cleveland Schools employee and parent.
Joan Gamble: "It's got to be positive any time someone of his magnitude can come out and talk to families."
Maybe Cosby's comments go down smoother because he's coming to Cleveland, not criticizing from a distance, Gamble said. However, she's hoping the summit translates into something effective so more kids will graduate from Cleveland Schools.
KH 90.3