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Helping at-risk students develop such traits as responsibility, integrity and honesty was the focus of Friday's Education Summit.
"School doesn't fit quite the same for all students," said Rick Swaim, director of the counseling department at Warsaw Community High School.
Swaim said at-risk students would be most helped through the influence of a mentor, an adult who cares about them.
"People do indeed make the difference," he said.
Businessmen and -women in Kosciusko County can serve as mentors and help at-risk students stay in school, he said.
Tammy Ummel, director of the Special Education Co-operative, said a survey of student suspensions showed that the largest number of suspensions resulted from attendance problems and truancy.
"These are students who are in danger of being expelled," she said.
Other speakers talked about programs that began as a result of discussions at previous summits.
For example, said John Ganyard, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce's education committee, the Education Compact began in 1997. Its goal was to encourage businesses to ask applicants for high school transcripts and attendance records.
It also emphasized business support for employees who are parents and want to attend functions at their children's schools.
