AIR Expert Dr. David Osher Discusses High School Dropout Rates

Washington, D.C. - Dr. David Osher, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and an expert on children’s mental health, behavioral and development issues, will discuss strategies for reducing high school dropout rates and improving the attitudes of students toward their schools during the Cleveland Dropout Prevention Summit being held on May 22-23, 2009.

The summit at the Cleveland Convention Center is expected to attract more than 1,000 attendees. The two-day event is coordinated by City Year Cleveland, a nonprofit organization that works to help students stay in school and graduate.

Osher, who will address the summit on Friday, May 22, led a six-month audit of conditions in Cleveland schools in 2008 at the request of Dr. Eugene Sanders, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. AIR’s report focused on steps the schools and the community can take to improve the school environment for students and teachers.

Osher is nationally recognized for his research and writings on the issues facing children with emotional and behavioral problems. He is the principal investigator for AIR’s Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice, The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, The Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, and the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Students Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk.

He has written or co-authored more than 240 books, articles, research papers or monographs including the widely acclaimed “Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools,” published in 1998 by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, “Safeguarding our Children: An Action Guide” published in 2000 by the same federal agencies, and the widely used “Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools Step by Step,” published in 2004.

About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.

Event Information

May 21, 2009
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM ET