Unstack the Odds: Help All Kids Access College—and Graduate!
by
Joe Rottenborn
Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)
Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)
10. A Plan of Action
Necessarily, any plan of action would be based on these sound guidance principles and seek to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and barriers. But first and foremost, any plan would start early, long before students are in high school—indeed, considerably before they even enter kindergarten. Or preschool. Ideally, this early start would mean advising expectant mothers—particularly, unwed teenagers--during the critical prenatal period of their children. To be sure, there are many challenges and difficulties involved in this early approach: for example, a co-worker of mine once confronted a high school advisee, asking if she were expecting. The young lady admitted she was seven months pregnant; my co-worker then assisted her, phoning the girl’s stepmother to inform the parent! No prenatal care had been received. (The new mom returned some weeks later to show us her healthy new baby!)
Therefore, it may be more likely that measures would commonly occur during children’s school-age years. Regardless, a first step would be to encourage early reading for all children. An update of the report by Grad Nation, relating to its “Civic Marshall Plan,” emphasized importance of this reading as follows:
“Not being able to read proficiently by the end of fourth grade can put students on a path to dropping out by triggering academic difficulties resulting in grade retention. In 2009, more than 90 percent of low-income students failed to score proficiently on national reading exams. Half of all low-income fourth graders did not even reach the basic level. This foundational skill must be mastered to succeed in high school.” (Robert Balfanz, et. al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic—2010-2011 Annual Update, America’s Promise Alliance, March 2011, p. 20.)
http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/~/media/Files/Our%20Work/Grad%20Nation/2011%20Summit/Reports/GradNation-rd6-FINAL.ashx
Another focus would be on encouraging regular attendance at school. Again to quote the Grad Nation Update,
“In recent years, there has been a growing awareness that communities with low graduation rates often have very high rates of chronic absenteeism from the early grades onward. Research shows that three out of four students who are severely chronically absent in the sixth grade never graduate from high school. (Ibid., p. 20)
Also, per the Update, is an emphasis on “early warning and intervention systems” and an emphasis on the middle grades. Indeed, according to that report:
“Research has shown that students who eventually leave high school before graduating exhibit strong predictive warning signs of dropping out, such as infrequent attendance, behavior infractions, and course failure. These warning signs — the ABCs of dropout prevention — more accurately predict whether a student will drop out of high school than any other socioeconomic factors and can be used to predict high school graduation as early as the start of middle school. Given this reality, states are enhancing the quality of the data they are collecting and are building longitudinal data systems. This is prompting the adoption of early warning systems throughout the country at the state, district, and school levels.” (Ibid., p. 21.)
Two other factors cited in the original report Building a Grad Nation are also important to emphasize. The first was parental engagement, of which that first report stated the following:
“Research has shown that students with involved parents, regardless of their family income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higherlevel classes, attend school and pass their classes, develop better social skills, graduate from high school, attend college, and find productive work. The opposite is true for students whose parents are less engaged.” (Robert Balfanz, et. al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic, America’s Promise Alliance, November 2010, p. 52)
Therefore, it may be more likely that measures would commonly occur during children’s school-age years. Regardless, a first step would be to encourage early reading for all children. An update of the report by Grad Nation, relating to its “Civic Marshall Plan,” emphasized importance of this reading as follows:
“Not being able to read proficiently by the end of fourth grade can put students on a path to dropping out by triggering academic difficulties resulting in grade retention. In 2009, more than 90 percent of low-income students failed to score proficiently on national reading exams. Half of all low-income fourth graders did not even reach the basic level. This foundational skill must be mastered to succeed in high school.” (Robert Balfanz, et. al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic—2010-2011 Annual Update, America’s Promise Alliance, March 2011, p. 20.)
http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/~/media/Files/Our%20Work/Grad%20Nation/2011%20Summit/Reports/GradNation-rd6-FINAL.ashx
Another focus would be on encouraging regular attendance at school. Again to quote the Grad Nation Update,
“In recent years, there has been a growing awareness that communities with low graduation rates often have very high rates of chronic absenteeism from the early grades onward. Research shows that three out of four students who are severely chronically absent in the sixth grade never graduate from high school. (Ibid., p. 20)
Also, per the Update, is an emphasis on “early warning and intervention systems” and an emphasis on the middle grades. Indeed, according to that report:
“Research has shown that students who eventually leave high school before graduating exhibit strong predictive warning signs of dropping out, such as infrequent attendance, behavior infractions, and course failure. These warning signs — the ABCs of dropout prevention — more accurately predict whether a student will drop out of high school than any other socioeconomic factors and can be used to predict high school graduation as early as the start of middle school. Given this reality, states are enhancing the quality of the data they are collecting and are building longitudinal data systems. This is prompting the adoption of early warning systems throughout the country at the state, district, and school levels.” (Ibid., p. 21.)
Two other factors cited in the original report Building a Grad Nation are also important to emphasize. The first was parental engagement, of which that first report stated the following:
“Research has shown that students with involved parents, regardless of their family income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higherlevel classes, attend school and pass their classes, develop better social skills, graduate from high school, attend college, and find productive work. The opposite is true for students whose parents are less engaged.” (Robert Balfanz, et. al., Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic, America’s Promise Alliance, November 2010, p. 52)
Another factor cited in the original report was “teacher training and effectiveness.” As that report emphasized, “Research shows that a knowledgeable and engaging teacher is the single greatest advantage a student can have to raise their academic potential.” (Ibid., p. 48.) Indeed, having served in public education for 30 years—13 years as a classroom teacher of high school social studies and 17 years as a building and district administrator—I know the importance of effective instruction and am convinced that caring and conscientious educators are probably the sine qua non to enabling all students—particularly, those at-risk—to gain college access and success.
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