Updated 10/13/2012 09:48 AM
"Hackathon" Challenges Groups To Design App To Keep Students In School
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Students, teachers and techies gathered in Manhattan Friday to develop a way to keep kids in school.
AT&T, NYC Digital and Mayor Bloomberg's Truancy Task Force joined up to launch a mobile app Hackathon competition.
The two-day event challenges groups to create an app aimed at encouraging students to stay in school.
"I just joined a team now where we're gonna make sort of a digital avatar so the students will have an avatar that's customized as they gain points for attending school and doing homework," said one potential app designer.
"A lot of kids don't show up for school and we know that's a predictor for ensuring that they're not going to graduate from school," said Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T New York. "So we've brought together a bunch of really smart developers and other people to figure out how to combat that issue, brought them together with AT&T to do so. We're really excited to see what they come up with."
AT&T Aspire said it's investing $350 million over five years to help increase the high school graduation rate and prepare students better for college and the work force.