Laura Bush launches 'Middle School Matters'

First Lady Michelle Obama isn't the only one announcing new initiatives today. Former First Lady Laura Bush announced a new plan to combat high school graduation rates by focusing on middle school students in Dallas today. In conjunction with President Bush's Presidential Library, Mrs. Bush will work with the the Bush Institute on the project which already focuses on education reform, global health, human freedom and economic growth.

From the AP:

"We know now from research that a lot of kids that drop out in high school really drop out in middle school," she said. "They just leave in high school." She added, "One of the goals will be making sure they are prepared for high school." For the program, the institute has compiled research by various institutions on what determines success in middle schools and plans to take that information to work with middle schools to implement new practices. The program focuses on 11 elements for success, including school leadership, reading interventions, effective teachers, dropout prevention, and school, student, family and community support. The Bush Institute's research team has come up with specific measures that can be taken in the classroom to improve performance in all of these.