What is a graduation coach?: understanding Georgia's Graduation Coach Initiative

Successes of the Initiative
Today, more than 800 graduation coaches
serve Georgia middle and high schools, offering intervention services to support the personal and academic needs of nearly 100,000 at-risk Georgia students.
Due in great part to the work of
Georgia's graduation coaches, the state's graduation rate has reached 75.4% -- a record for the state.
Georgia's Graduation Rate
Georgia's Dropout Rate

Parent Resources
Graduation Coaches, School Counselors, and School Social Workers Contact these support personnel for assistance in creating a successful school experience for your child through graduation and beyond.
Georgia Appleseed Center
www.gaappleseed.org
Georgia PIRC
Parental Information and Resource Center www.georgiapirc.net
National Dropout Prevention Center/
Network www.dropoutprevention.org/effstrat/ family_engagement/overview.htm
National Dropout Prevention Network
for Students with Disabilities www.ndpc-sd.org/resources/for_parents.php
Parents Teachers Association
www.pta.org
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
http://www.gafcp.org/
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Programs Parent Services Unit http://www.gadoe.org//tss_title_parent.aspx
For More Information Georgia Department of Education Division of School and Leader Quality http://www.gadoe.org/tss_school.aspx
(404) 463-0976 lmartin@doe.k12.ga.us
February 25, 2009 All Rights Reserved

What is a Graduation
Coach?
Understanding Georgia's Graduation
Coach Initiative

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Why Do Students Drop Out of School?
Lack of Rigor/High Expectations
69% of dropouts said they were not
motivated or inspired to work hard.
80% of dropouts said they were required
one hour or less of homework each day in high school.
66% of dropouts reported they would
have worked harder if more was expected of them.
Lack of Relevance
81% of dropouts said there should be
more opportunities for real-world learning to give students an opportunity to see connections between school and getting a good job.
Lack of Relationships/Adult Support
68% of dropouts reported that their
parents only became involved in their education when they became aware that their child was on the edge of dropping out of school.
Less than half of dropouts interviewed
stated that their school contacted their parents or them when they were absent or dropped out of school.
Lack of Encouragement
70% of dropouts were confident that
they could have graduated if they had tried, including those with low GPAs.
Source: Bridgeland, J.M., Dilulio, J.H., & Morison, K.B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Washington, DC: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Who is At-Risk?
At-risk students are often those who:
are credit deficient. have failed one or more state assessments. display poor/irregular attendance. display frequent discipline/behavior
challenges.
are transient. struggle in reading and mathematics. are disengaged from school. have a history of school failure.
Intervention Strategies that Promote Student
Excellence
Academic remediation Credit recovery Teachers-As-Advisors Faculty Friend Program Extracurricular imvolvement Peer tutoring Extra help sessions Attendance monitoring Significant adult mentor

Graduation Coach
Mission
To ensure the successful transition of all students from elementary to middle school, middle to high school, and high school to post-secondary education or work.
Role of the
Graduation Coach
To identify and provide early intervention services to students at risk of dropping out or otherwise not graduating by:
analyzing data to identify students at-risk
of dropping out.
implementing schoolwide support
interventions.
motivating students to focus on a
graduation plan.
negotiating extra help services. offering academic advisement. providing direct student support and case
management.
developing effective transition programs. connecting parents and students with
appropriate school and community resources.
encouraging parent/
community involvement.