Recap: Connecting Graduation Guidelines to Dropout Prevention and Student Engagement
Colorado Youth for a Change
We address barriers to learning by providing individualized supports throughout pivotal stages of students' journeys.
On April 27, 2022, Colorado Youth for a Change and Stand for Children’s Center for High School Success partnered to host “Connecting Graduation Guidelines to Dropout Prevention and Student Engagement.” A Colorado Reengagement Network event, this webinar provided both context around graduation guidelines and real world results from districts implementing them.
First, Andy Tucker and Robin Russel of the Colorado Department of Education presented on the logistics of graduation guidelines, answering audience questions and providing a wealth of resources along the way. Next, Diana Zakhem of Englewood Schools gave attendees an inside look at how Englewood is incorporating these guidelines with flexibility and student success as guideposts. Finally, Allison Lusero Hoffman and Lisle Reed of Adams 12 Five Star Schools spoke to making graduation guidelines work for students facing external hardships such as those in?foster care and those experiencing homelessness.
Here are highlights from the event:
Going forward, successful graduation guidelines implementation will require a shift from “compliance” to “meaning.”
Andy Tucker and Robin Russel of CDE emphasized this point as we are now in the first year of completed graduation guidelines implementation. As districts and schools begin to adjust to the new guidelines, they must shift their focus away from simply complying with mandated guidelines to ensuring all students are pursuing options that are meaningful to them and their selected life paths. As Andy emphasized, effective graduation guideline implementation requires a robust Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) process. In other words, districts must empower their students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue postsecondary opportunities that make sense to each student. This is why the mechanism(s) of graduation guidelines are decided at the district level; districts are in the best position to understand the unique needs and aspirations of their students.
Districts and schools must represent all postsecondary options as equally viable.
Following this emphasis on individualized pathways to postsecondary and workforce readiness, Diana Zakhem of Englewood Schools presented resources that Englewood provides to its students, including a pathway illustration delineating students’ postsecondary options as entering the workforce, entering the military, or pursuing further education. Englewood’s presentation of these pathways is powerful because all three are treated as viable and admirable options, removing the stigmatization around pathways other than college as “less valuable.” As Diana explained, this has enabled Englewood to support its students better as students have more flexibility—and therefore more personal motivation—to pursue classes and offerings more suited to their interests and aspirations. As Robin reminded us, all students are career-bound; however, the pathways they take to reach their eventual careers are up to them.
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Supportive adult relationships are vital to achieving graduation guidelines, especially for students facing external hardships.
Allison Lusero Hoffman and Lisle Reed of Adams 12 Five Star Schools closed the loop by speaking to the power of graduation guidelines as a tool to meet students’ unique needs rather than a hoop to jump through. As Lisle said, “The connection with a trusted adult in the building cannot be overstated.” Supportive adults such as school counselors, reengagement specialists, and AmeriCorps members are able to form trusting relationships with these students and can then provide individualized support to reaching graduation guidelines. All students deserve to have a full graduation experience like their peers, and achieving that is possible by leveraging these relationships.
Colorado Youth for a Change is actively recruiting school sites for next year to host AmeriCorps members for all four of our programs, including Corps for a Change, in which members support high school students. If you are interested in bringing an AmeriCorps member(s) to your district or school, please fill out our interest form here.
Additionally, participants raised concerns about declining student attendance and rising chronic absenteeism. Attendance power strategies were shared, which include, relationship building, social-emotional support, family/community partnerships, and adaptable instruction. Resources were shared on creating welcoming climates to increase attendance and engaging families and caring adults to address the root causes of absenteeism. These resources include:
Thank you to all of our amazing panelists and all who attended! The recording of the event can be accessed here. Please feel free to share the recording with friends and colleagues! Robin and Andy’s presentation slides, with all resources hyperlinked, are available here, and Diana’s slides are available here.
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