TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - The 6th annual Dropout Prevention Summit is put on by area colleges and universities and the CREATE Foundation.
It's there that principals and others from 30 school systems in north Mississippi gather information from a variety of speakers.
Topics range from early childhood education to birth rates of unwed mothers.
One suggestion to the problem of dropouts starts with better pre-K education offerings in the state.
Dr. Lynn Darling, Interim Director of the MSU Early Childhood Institute, said, "I'm challenging school districts to either begin a pre-K program if they have the space. That's usually the biggest issue and the funding. But also reach out to the Head Start and child care centers in their school district and make them a part of the conversation about education."
One group that's tackling education problems head on is the Gilmore Foundation in Monroe County.
It's called "The Center" and is a place full of learning resources for parents and students, not just during the school year but year round.
Gilmore Foundation Executive Director Danny Spreitler said, "Statistically speaking, if we just want to be honest, the school year is 180 days. There are 365 days in a year. The school is a minority part of a child's life and we as a community have to come together. If education is truly the highest goal we have in Mississippi, it has to be 365 days a year."
Educators also heard about ways to better incorporate into daily classroom work the huge financial impact of dropping out of school.
Selena Swartzfager, President of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education, said, "Even if you're not an economics teacher, that doesn't mean you can't incorporate these lessons in parts of your classroom."
All agree there are no easy solutions to the problem of dropouts.
Swartzfager said, "It's definitely a community, statewide effort. And there's no one answer."
No one answer, but rather many, that summit leaders say we all must strive for in order to correct the problem of dropouts.
