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Student Spotlight: Leslie P.

  • Diana Kanzler
  • May 12, 2023

Less than a month after earning his high school diploma, Leslie was promoted. “I was offered a store manager position at Domino’s because I got my diploma,” Leslie said. “They heard about how I went to school even though I have children, a wife, church responsibilities, and other things to do.” At just 24 years

Student Spotlight: Christina O.

  • Diana Kanzler
  • April 20, 2023

Christina grew up in and out of the foster care system. When she turned 18 during her junior year of high school, she could no longer stay with her foster family and ended up being homeless. She no longer had a physical address and, therefore, could not attend school. “I’m sure there was some sort

Student Mental Health: Why Educators Should Care and How They Can Help

  • Joanna
  • April 5, 2023

Between 2019 and 2021, suicide attempts by teen girls increased by more than 51% according to a study by the CDC. In just three years, the number of teen girls in our country who attempted to take their own lives increased by more than half. This news knocked the wind out of us and made

Get Credit-Deficient Seniors Across the Finish Line

  • Sarah Smith
  • February 6, 2023

What are some ways you help your credit-deficient students over the finish line? School districts we work with often have a menu of options to help these students. Options include: Tutors After-school study sessions Summer school Credit recovery Modified grading (Pass/fail system) Teacher office hours Credit waivers Pace- and progress-focused coaches High School Equivalency (HSE)

Graduation Rates Are on the Rise! Congrats to Our Partner Districts

  • Sarah Smith
  • October 28, 2022

Over the past two and half years, our long-held belief that student support is a group effort has been reinforced. There is no silver bullet that solves every academic and social-emotional problem. However, providing students with a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) to meet them where they are on their educational journey is an important

Student Spotlight: Michael R.

  • Sarah Smith
  • October 25, 2022

At only 21, Michael had already experienced the hardships of not having a high school diploma such as “not being able to take certain positions with employers, not being able to attend college, and thoughts of failure.” After a quick Google search, Michael found out about the Central Plains Degree Completion Program and immediately enrolled.

Why aren’t students showing up to school?

  • Sarah Smith
  • September 27, 2022

The number of chronically absent students — those missing 15 or more days per year — in U.S. schools doubled to 16 million in the 2021-22 school year. Prior to the pandemic, about 8 million students were chronically absent each year, according to new findings from Attendance Works. Two of the nation’s largest districts, New

Flexible Options Get More Students to Graduation

  • Sarah Smith
  • August 19, 2022

High school graduation rates in the U.S. have been steadily increasing since the early 2000s. However, the first full school year after the onset of COVID-19 saw a dip in graduation rates. In some states, this dip was as high as 2.6 percentage points. While we may not be able to see the full picture

Combat Teacher Burnout and Shortages With Online Courses

  • Sarah Smith

Over half of teachers who are members of the nation’s largest teacher’s union are considering leaving the profession early, according to a January 2022 poll from the National Education Association. Schools are also short-staffed across the country, and 80% of union members said they’ve had to take on a heavier workload to make up for

How to Combat Public High School Enrollment Decline

  • Sarah Smith

Over the past two years, we’ve seen historic declines in public school enrollment, especially among students in grades K-8. While public school enrollment for high school students (grades 9-12) has actually increased, the uptick has been for public charter school enrollment, not traditional public school enrollment. Read the full report from The Journal. From 2019-2021,