Raleigh school hosts student-parent summit to kick year off right

The "Helping Hands" parent-student summit was hosted by Wake County schools in an effort to strengthen the partnerships between parents and educators and help parents implement new strategies to improve their children's math and reading scores.

The summit included workshops, guest speakers and question and answer sessions on topics ranging from attendance and behavior to the importance of mentorship for students.

"Statistics show if we don't get involved, if we don't support these students, there are many negative outcomes," said event organizer Maurice Moore. "This program will positively impact graduation and increase the likelihood of these students being successful."

For single parents like Wonita Wilkins, extra help from mentors and teachers is a welcome addition to her son's education.

"I would like the extra help with the mentoring as far as math, reading, et cetera," she said.