Strategies to Re-Engage High School Drop Outs & Diploma On!

1. Strategies to Re-Engage High School Drop Outs & Diploma On! Alexia Poppy, MSW, LGSW Lea Dahl, ALC Principal Intermediate District 287 Diploma On! • Intermediate District 287 • RESPONSIVE. INNOVATIVE. SOLUTIONS.

2. MN Department of Education Drop Out Rates 2012:

3. MN Department of Education Drop Out Rates 2012:

4. MN Department of Education 2012 Summary Out of all the students in the 2012 graduating classes in Hennepin County: • 9,816: Graduated • 735: Dropped out • 916: Unknown (we don't know where they are) • 3,065: Continuing (5th year seniors)

5. Limited Data: • Overall, there is limited data and research on drop out recovery. • In the United States, only 26 states have a process to identify when students in grades 8-12 have dropped out and where they are located. • In addition, most states do not track which courses a student has or has not taken.

6. Recovery Program Weaknesses: Programs often… • Reintegrate returning students into the same program and with the same services provided to all at-risk students. • Do not separate recovered dropouts from those at-risk of dropping out. • Do not provide additional administration staffing and support programs designed specifically for recovered dropouts.

7. Student Risk Factors for Dropping Out: • substance abuse, pregnancy, legal problems, significant work hours per week, truancy, absenteeism, disciplinary infractions, unstable home life, low socioeconomic status, siblings’ completion of high school, single-parent households, parent educational background, a different primary language spoken at home, and other life events such as caring for a sick family member.

8. Student Motivations for Dropping Out: Top Five Reasons cited by dropouts as reason for leaving school (2006): • Uninteresting classes (47%); • Missed too many days and could not catch up (43%); • Spent time with people who were not interested in school (42%); • Had too much freedom and not enough rules (38%); and • Was failing in school (35%). **Research indicates that low socioeconomic status, not ethnicity, is a key indicator for students who drop out. Hanover Research

9. Motivations for Returning to School: Social motivators were highly correlated with the decision to return to school; top 6 reasons for returning: • Not wanting to be looked down on for not having a diploma; • Disliking informing others of dropout status; • Needing to find a job; • Hearing good things about the program; • Being required to attend school; and • Being rewarded for graduating.

10. Promising Strategies for Dropout Recovery: • Remove barriers to re-enrollment (childcare, transportation, health care, mental health, housing, and food) • Differentiate between dropouts and at-risk youth. • Connect the recovered dropout to a caring adult. • Integrate a case management model(such as Check and Connect) • Increase range of program choices.

11. Promising Strategies for Dropout Recovery: • Tailor the academic program to the recovered dropout’s academic status (i.e. ELL, Read 180, etc.). • Focus on post-high school goals. • Collaborate with postsecondary institutions. • Follow students in college. • Create greater flexibility.

12. Promising Strategies for Dropout Recovery: • Include workforce preparation. • Open-entry/open exit (circular modules at their own pace) • Clear codes of conduct with consistent enforcement • Collaborative partnership among schools, communities, and organizations and are relationship based, individualized, student centered, and success oriented instead of discipline oriented.

13. Strategies for Identifying Dropouts: • Advertise dropout recovery programs. • Develop information resources. • Use multiple approaches for contacting dropouts. • Utilize relationships with staff. • Utilize relationships with other students.

14. Strategies for Identifying Dropouts: • Match ethnic/racial and bilingual characteristics. • Collaborate with local civic organizations. • Plan a comprehensive reach out effort. • Create a year-round tracking program. • Attempt creative means of reaching/communicating with dropouts.

15. Profiles for Promising Programs: • College, Career, and Technology Academy: Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD. “Rather then send them back to schools lacking sufficient resources, the model is designed to catch students up on high-school work and, when they’re ready, propel them into dual-enrollment courses.” • Grand Prairie ISD: Launch Your Life Dropout Recovery Fair. District wide event highlighting resources and options.

16. Profiles for Promising Programs: • SIA Tech: individual student focus, competency-based academic programs, close alignment with careers, and a staff of caring adults. • Diploma Plus, Inc.: small alternative high schools that integrate dropout recovery and prevention program with college-and career-readiness incentives; performance based, supportive school culture, future focused, effective supports for schools. • Gateway to College National Network: dual credit program within community or technical college; holistic student support, significant dual credit, intentional collaboration, sustainable partnerships, and innovative teaching and learning.

17. Engagement Activity • Group yourself into groups 3-4 according to your “region” • Read your scenario and collaborate on what resources, options, ideas you would utilize within your area for the particular youth in the scenario. How would you keep them in your school? • Write down your brainstorming ideas. • Purpose is to collaborate, resource share, and gain ideas from others5 minutes. • Share out your ideas for supporting the student in your scenario.

18. Diploma On! Video

19. What is Diploma On!? • Diploma On! is a program designed to reduce barriers to high school graduation. Staff specialists contact student who have been dropped from school or who have dropped out of school. Students are invited back and are supported with services specific to their needs.

20. What do Diploma On! specialists do? • Attempt to locate and contact students in the community via multiple methods: phone, Facebook, school resource officer, friends, and family. • If and when contact is made, the goal is to begin building a relationship and reducing barriers for the student and family in order to re-enroll into a program that fits their needs. • The .5 position is financed through LCTS funds.

21. Where Diploma On! started: • Began in April 2012 with Brooklyn Center and St. Louis Park. • 2012-2013 SY, Hopkins and Osseo districts joined. • 2013-2014 SY, Eden Prairie, Mound Westonka, Richfield, Robbinsdale, and Wayzata joined. We also added collaboration with MVNA, Bloomington Public Health, and Hennepin County Front Door. • Referrals are generated by the identified staff person in each district based on their 5-day drop list. • Identified staff person makes formal referral and provides information about student’s educational history, including: interventions tried, credit status, barriers to attendance, etc.

22. More Information: • Goal: Reduce barriers such as mental and chemical healthconcerns, lack of transportation, family stressors, medical needs, past experiences within the school system, etc. • Identify a “next program” for student to attend such as: home district, area learning center, special education program, General Education Diploma (GED) Adult Basic Education (ABE), etc. • Drop Out Prevention Specialist works with student and family to navigate systems in order to get student re-enrolled.

23. More Information: • If and when a student is re-enrolled, the Drop Out Prevention Specialist will see the student at school or in the community 1 to 4 times a month, depending on their needs. • Drop Out Prevention Specialist will try to ensure that the student can identify and build relationships in the new program in which he/she is enrolled. • 2013-2014 we were able to add a full time AmeriCorps Promise Fellow as well as .5 contracted employee through a new partnership with The Link.

24. Referrals and Trends to date: 158 referrals as of 02/01/2014 • 35% Black/African American, 28% Latino, 17% Caucasian • 16% identified special education students • 55% Male and 45% Female • 40% (n= 63) No contact/Declined Services/Moved Out of Area/Re-Enrolled Prior to Intervention

25. Referrals and Trends to date: Trends seen in 111 referrals as of 02/01/14 • 45% identified Mental/Chemical Health, 34% Transportation, 12% Unstable Housing, 12% Teen Parent. • 4 students have graduated!

26. Future plans and ideas: • Using MIERS data from MDE to increase early intervention for our own ALC programs. • Encourage member districts to utilize MIERS data to identify and prevent drop outs. • Help member districts to identify process within their districts to support students who have dropped. • Metro Transit partnership and regional transportation plan to reduce barriers. • Increase staffing to 3 total FTE for DO! Project. • A little fun and team building: Urban League Family Day Parade

27. Come check us out! • Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/DiplomaOn • For more information: www.district287.org/DiplomaOn • More questions? Alexia Poppy: aapoppy@district287.org Lea Dahl: lldahl@district287.org

28. Questions? Thoughts?