Ana traveled to Reading this week where she visited I-LEAD Charter School. I-LEAD provides 9th through 12th grade youth who are disconnected from school with the opportunity to re-engage in their education and transition successfully into adulthood. Youth will be prepared to be productively-engaged citizens in the 21st Century economy as community leaders and entrepreneurs through an educational model that integrates life skills and academic skills. For the last ten years, over 40% of Reading youth have not graduated high school. Where are they now? Likely unemployed, uninsured, unhealthy or incarcerated. These young adults are lost to the system, lack adequate work skills, and don’t know where to go to get their lives back on track. I-LEAD Charter School is one second-chance option for some of these forgotten kids to re-engage in education and direct themselves toward a more positive future.