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Mastery Charter Schools and ED in ´08 Give Philadelphia´s First-Time Voters a Voice

PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 16 /PRNewswire/ --

Student town hall discussion focuses on the need for presidential leadership

on education reform

PHILADELPHIA, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Officials from the ED in '08 campaign held a town hall discussion with students, who will be first-time voters, at Mastery Charter School. The students, who gathered on the morning of the Democratic debate, discussed the importance of being prepared to compete in a global economy upon graduation. Content from the roundtable will be readily available at www.EDin08.com.

"With the Pennsylvania primaries approaching, young voters here in Philadelphia are looking for presidential candidates who are willing to take action to ensure that students graduate from high school and college capable of succeeding in a global economy," said David McDonough, the principal of Mastery Charter School - Lenfest Campus. "At Mastery Schools, we are working with students to give them the skills they need to be successful in college, the global economy and life, but we need national leadership on education reform to make certain all American students are prepared."

In 2007, approximately 35,300 students did not graduate from Pennsylvania's high schools resulting in more than $9.2 billion in lost wages for that class of drop-outs.

"Currently, students in other countries are excelling and improving faster than students in the United States and have an advantage in obtaining the best jobs of the 21st century," said Roy Romer, Chairman of ED in '08. "That is why it's so important for us to be here today, joining with first-time voters in asking the presidential candidates how they plan to reform America's public schools. We care about our futures, and the candidates need to show us that they do as well."

ED in '08 is a national, nonpartisan campaign that calls on all the presidential candidates to propose plans to ensure that American students will graduate from high school with the skills needed to compete in a global economy. For more information, log onto www.edin08.com.