If you’ve ever visited The Bookstore on West 25th, you know what a wealth of knowledge, information and hard to find literature this depot really is. And you know they’re one of the original “Green Reads” places in Cleveland, before such a tagline existed. If you’ve never been there, you owe it to yourself to see what it’s all about. And if you fall in either category, you hold the rare opportunity to help keep the store open! Apparently, The Bookstore on West 25th’s landlord is a pretty close to signing off on some eviction papers according to a recent post on the ClevelandPoetics listserv.

You can show your support by attending their “Invest In Knowledge Rent Party” this Saturday, May 17 from 11AM - 8PM at the Bookstore’s location — 1921 West 25th Street, one block north of the West Side Market.

The “Invest In Knowledge Rent Party” features:
• Live folk, Celtic and country music from Gary Nelson and friends.
• Poetry readings by Jim Lang and friends
• Pottery by David Kachadourian
• Bargain Book Tables
• Progressive Discounts (the more you buy, the more you save)

Call 216-566-8897 for more details. And by all means make a day of it… with great food, bars, local shopping and the venerable West Side Market right nearby, your Saturday could start or end there.

Young Workers Flee Midwestern States

Only 64% of the ninth graders graduate in Mississippi, about the same as Cleveland. Mississippi has set a target to reduce the dropout rate by 50% in five years.

Students pay price, and so does society

The dropout problem is gaining more attention recently. For example, Tucson’s Arizona Daily Star launched a series on the issue today exploring social promotion. Read more.

Last week, the Detroit Free Press outlined some solutions. Read more. At the same time, hearings are taking place across the state to address the issue. Read more.

South Carolina is addressing the issue by connecting businesses more closely to high schools. Read more.

Last month, AT&T announced a $100 million effort to reduce dropouts. Read more.

…[T]he Community Foundation’s Frederick County Business Roundtable for Education Fund will help to support FCBRE’s activities and major goals which include student internships, teacher externships, mentoring and tutoring for students, as well as teacher training and staff development, among other proposed initiatives.

“This multi-pronged approach to addressing workforce needs has proven successful in other places across the country,” Markoe said. “With the tremendous growth of Frederick County and the current assessment that future workforce needs must include education in specific areas, The Frederick County Business Roundtable for Education Fund is essential in helping to get the ball rolling toward addressing those needs.”

New Frederick County Business Roundtable for Education Fund Opens at Community Foundation

Teachers to train outside classrooms: Schools partner with businesses to create unique summer learning opportunity

Learn more: National Institute for Excellence in Teaching

A Wisconsin report states:

The return on investment in library services is $4.06 for each dollar of taxpayer investment…

Surveys of library users and focus groups conducted for this study show that public libraries play an important role in the quality of life in a wide range of communities. Libraries provide free access to information and technology and level the playing field for many low income people.

The results of this study are similar to the conclusions drawn from studies done in Indiana, Ohio, Florida and several other states.

Report: Public libraries boost economy

Download the report from this page.

If you had a choice where your tax dollars would go, would you invest in a convention center or a library system?

What started as a tweet a couple of days ago has developed momentum. Those of us at The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (eli), are building a list of recommended books and blogs for entrepreneurs.

Send your thoughts and suggestions to susie@elientrepreneur.com or via twitter to @sdschiffli. While you are at it, include the names and brief bios of entrepreneurs you would like to see us interview as part of our work for the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute.

Once we have the list compiled, we will share it on BFD.