There isn’t a school district in the United States that isn’t doing something to serve students who need more than standard instruction. “There are trained special educators for students whose disabilities get in the way of their learning,” the editors of EdWeek noted in Teaching Vulnerable Children. “There are special programs for English-language learners, gifted-education
Shortly after the beginning of this school year, we were at an education conference in Southern California, where an administrator from a mid-sized school district was sharing a common lament. “We don’t have any choice but to base what we offer this year on what we needed last year,” she said. “But we ended up
Over the past decade, state legislatures looking for “easy wins” in the fight to keep students in school have passed compulsory attendance laws that have essentially made dropping out illegal. Few states, however, have provided schools with the resources they need to enforce these laws. In particular, most communities do not have the capacity to
“So when do I get my username and password?” That’s a common question for new students in Graduation Alliance programs. And it’s an important one. In the world of digital education, usernames and passwords are the keys that unlock the school building. And while keys are unquestionably important, they don’t matter much if there’s nothing
This New Year, we’re taking stock of what we’ve done over the past 12 months — and feeling proud of what we’ve accomplished including the celebration of 1,890 graduates! In districts across the United States, we continued our dropout recovery partnerships, and started a lot of new ones, too — giving thousands of young people
Madeline wasn’t convinced a traditional high school was quite right for her. When her boyfriend suggested she try Graduation Alliance, as he had, she took after his hard-working example. “In high school I had trouble focusing. It was hectic and I just wanted to have fun,” Madeline said. “With Graduation Alliance I can do my
Kayla has always been a go-getter. With big dreams for the future, the Spokane, Washington, native wanted a fast-track through high school so she could get down to business—with a business license. “Now that I’ve graduated, I can go to college and get my career started,” she said. “I’m planning to get my business license
Tristen was performing perfectly in a traditional high school setting. That is, until he moved to a new town for his senior year. “The school literally gave me panic attacks the moment I walked in. It was so much bigger than any school I’d ever been too,” he said. “Finishing high school was my biggest
Jordan was ready to start his career and leave school forever. The problem? He hadn’t yet earned a high school diploma. “School itself was my biggest challenge,” Jordan said. “Just having to work on someone else’s schedule was hard. I couldn’t found time.” When a counselor in his traditional high school told him about opportunities
Nate wanted to be in school, but his home life made that hard. So when an enrollment counselor from Graduation Alliance left a voicemail for him, after being referred by his local school district, he immediately called back. “I work full time, so my family and challenges at home really started to interfere with my