Presented by: Tom Changnon, Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools

1. New Countywide Initiative Presented by: Tom Changnon, Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools

2. Will we have a joyous future?

3. Previous Initiatives • Attendance Campaign • Health/Obesity Initiative • Choose Civility

4. 1. Attendance Campaign2006-2008 • All School Districts participated • From 2006-2008 an estimated $3.8 million in additional revenue went to districts • Student Recognition for improved attendance • Over $61,000 in cash and prizes donated by local businesses, including a car! • Schools with improved attendance received prizes or “Prize Trooper” appearances

5. 2. Health/Obesity Initiative 2008-2010 • Stanislaus County students logged over 1 million active days and were ranked number one in the state each year! • In addition, students in Stanislaus County’s top performing schools in the Governor’s Challenge had more than twice the rate of improvement in English and Math than the rest of the state on California’s assessment tests! • Tuolumne Elementary, Hart-Ransom and Hickman schools were awarded $100,000 fitness centers each

6. 2. Health/Obesity Initiative Partner Projects • Diabetes Coalition • Stanislaus County Fair • Kaiser Physician Ambassador Program • American Heart Association Nutrition • School Garden Grants – 38 grants awarded to schools • Schools participated in the Healthier US School Challenge. Three schools were recognized with a Gold of Distinction School – 1st in California.

7. SCOE received special recognition at the Governor’s Spotlight Awards ceremony and was named, “County of the Year” for supporting children’s fitness. The Governor’s Council used SCOE’s campaign as a model across the state!

8. 3. Choose Civility 2010-2013 • 12 Principles • 250 Business Partners • 1,800 students submitted either writing or art for the Kids on Civility contestthat culminated in a book. • Seven other COE’s throughout the State adopted similar campaigns using Stanislaus County’s model.

9. The need for this initiative prompted by: Coming Jobs War When the Boomers Bail

10. Our Workforce Has Changed

11. Our Workforce Has Changed

12. Goal Increase the Graduation Rate in Stanislaus County

13. New County-wide Initiative • HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA - Advantage Students Source: US Census Bureau

14. High school diplomas -Advantage the community High school drop outs are more likely to: • be unemployed • receive welfare • contribute to high health costs and have less healthy children • perpetrate crimes and end up in jail

15. Further … • The health of a community is enhanced by better educated citizens • Communities attract more businesses with an educated work force

16. If the number of dropouts were cut in half, nationally … U.S. Taxpayers would save $45 billion annually

17. If the country’s 50 largest cities cut their drop out rates in half, each of those communities would: • Increase home sales by $10.5 billion • Support an additional 30,000 jobs • Boost earnings by $4.1 billion • Spend an additional $2.8 billion and invest another $1.1 billion • Increase tax revenue by $536 each year • Spend an extra $340 million buying cars, trucks, and other vehicles

18. What are this county’s stats?

19. A closer look: a gender gap

20. Numbers versus Percentages

21. What’s the plan?The Five Pillars • Sharing of Best Practices • Mentoring • Summer Camps for at risk students • Parent Awareness/Involvement Campaign • Grade Level Reading Campaign

22. Sharing of Best Practices

23. Mentoring

24. partnerships • United Way has focused on piloting Graduation Coaches in 3 local junior high schools to support students in the critical year of transition. • Sierra Vista and Modesto City Schools, through Expect More Stanislaus, are creating a Mentoring Center and hosted a Mentor Summit on Nov. 15, 2013

25. Summer Learning Camps • Target the audience: incoming 7th graders • Centralize a “summer camp” experience to emphasize the importance of a high school diploma • Incorporate a “field trip” to the receiving school • Form ongoing networks to continue supporting students

26. Parent Awareness/Involvement A number of parenting practices have been shown to reduce the odds of dropping out: • Having high aspirations for their children • Monitoring their children’s school progress • Communicating with the school • Knowing the parents of their children’s friends

27. Grade Level Reading • A student not reading at his or her grade level by the end of the third grade is four time LESS likely to graduate from high school on time. • The student from a low income family is six times less likely to graduate. • Researchers at Northwestern University found in 2009 that high school dropouts were 63 times more likely to be incarcerated than high school grads. Source: Readingpartners.org

28. How to help children read at grade level: • Ensure that students are healthy and ready for school. This includes good prenatal health care, doctor check-ups, and dental screening. • Provide word- and book-rich environments for youngsters. • Engage children in healthy and educational activities during the summer. Children need to visit libraries and museums, participate on sports teams, and attend summer camps. • Get children to school every day. Attendance at school is critical, and if children aren’t in school learning to read, they will have little success when teachers rely on students reading to learn. • For more ideas, visit www.gradelevelreading.net

29. National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Destination Graduation Programs Promoting Graduation and Student Success! Strand: Educational Alternative Location: Pembroke Room Presenter: Tom Changnon, Stanislaus County Office of Education Modesto, CA

30. Governor Brown’s Recent Visit

31. Stanislaus Military Academy • Provides a comprehensive education in a military environment. • The program features: • Academic Studies • Physical Conditioning • Strict Military Discipline • Character Training • Extra-Curricular Activities

34. Stanislaus Culinary Arts Institute • Integrates math and English language arts components • Employability skills in Culinary Arts • Opportunity for agriculture career pathway

36. Come back kids – A public charter school • A high school program for young adults (ages 16-23) who want to come back to complete a their education and earn a high school diploma. • 173 Current enrollment • 51% are ages 18-19 • 68% are Hispanic

37. Petersen Alternative Center for Education • Provides students the opportunity to compete their junior high and high school requirements • Focus on Agriculture • Career/Job Development • Business partnerships Stanislaus industrial technology institute • Opportunity for Small Engine Repair career pathway • Train students for entry-level jobs • Skills learned in this course can be applied to the maintenance and repair of systems used at large distribution sites located in Patterson. Examples: Grainger, CVS, Kohls, and Amazon • Modesto Junior College to begin offering Saturday course instruction beginning in March

38. What can you doto help Destination Graduation Succeed? • Help by mentoring and/or providing employees time to mentor • Sponsoring a mentor’s clearance costs • Sponsoring a graduation coach • Assist with the summer camp • Speaking about academic needs and habits of mind • Sponsoring a “camper” • Helping with transportation and/or food costs www.stancoe.org/go/destgrad

39. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” ~Robert Louis Stevenson Tom Changnon Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools www.stancoe.org 209.238.1711