INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Public Schools and the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday unveiled a program with a lofty new goal to make the school system among the top performing urban systems in the nation.

The Common Goal initiative calls for 1,000 people to step up and train to be mentors. Those mentors will work directly with students to help them stay on track for graduation, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

"This is not just the responsibility of a teacher, a principal, a parent, a student, a superintendent -- it is everybody," said Roland Dorson, president of the chamber of commerce. "That is how Indy is going to win the equivalent of an NBA championship in public education."

The goal is to raise Marion County's graduation rate from 70 percent to 80 percent and lower the dropout rate from 7.7 percent to 5 percent in the next four years.

"Every minute an adult spends with these young people -- you can't measure the impact of that time," said IPS Superintendent Dr. Eugene White.

Pacers Sports Entertainment is giving $500,000 to the cause, the largest to date, and they are issuing a challenge to other businesses to donate time and money.

"Many of the people who lead the Indiana Pacers and the Fever are products of public education," said Jim Morris, of Pacers Sports Entertainment.

"This is really not our future workforce that we're talking about here, but our future community leaders," said Tim George of R.W. George. "What could be more important than that?"

David Lane knows first-hand what a difference a mentor can make. He was inspired to succeed through a mentoring program and now carries a 3.9 grade-point average and a double major at Kelley School of Business.

"The common thing is there's a single-parent household, and they're working two or three jobs, but that is the case for most families," Lane said. "To have a business professional come in and give you guidance, it just gives you a sense of, 'Oh, I can do that.'"

More Info: commongoalindy.org