There are many factors that contribute to students' interest and level of engagement in learning, and teachers have little control over many of those factors. However, research has shown that teachers can influence student motivation; that certain practices do work to increase time spent on task; and that there are ways to make assigned work more engaging and more effective for students at all levels. By focusing on both in-school activities and homework, this virtual round table offered excellent practical strategies for promoting student engagement in learning and techniques that can be incorporated at the classroom, school, and district levels for increasing graduation rates.

Get Ready to GEAR UP!
Tammie Barron, Gear Up Parent Involvement Facilitator at Tulsa Public School District in OK realizes the likelihood of graduation is small in some districts.  That's why the Tulsa Public School District in Oklahoma has been focusing its efforts towards the federally funded program, GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). This program is designed to better prepare middle and high school students for college through academic preparation. Her district started this program in 1999 and agreed to start implementing it with the 6th and 7th graders.  Their goals were to increase the number of students who will graduate from
high school and enroll in college or a technical programs, and using interventions designed to keep students on track and to help them be successful in school.  Here are some of the services offered when using the GEAR UP program.

• Academic preparation and achievement through tutoring and mentoring.
• Parental engagement in education
• Educational aspirations of both student and parents
• Professional development for teachers and school administrators
• Awareness of college opportunities
• Financial aid awareness and application assistance

By using the GEAR UP Program, schools are able to partner with college and other associations which students can use after they have graduated high school.  They are able to receive scholarships, financial aid, and grants from programs affiliated with the program. Feel free to contact Tammie at barrota@tulsaschools.org or 918-925-1122 if you'd like to learn more.

Giving That Extra Little Push!
Terry Edwards, Chief Academic Officer at Everett Public Schools in Washington State has increased their graduation rate from 60 to 80 percent in three years by implementing a variety of programs designed to meet the needs of all students.  Using data to move the focus from "Numbers to Names" they employ strategies that focus the entire system on each student.  Terry Edwards taught "11 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Graduation Rate."

• Know your Core Beliefs - You must decide what is most important to your district. Also, decide of on time graduation, or just graduation period, matters more to you.
• Understand how your state formula for “estimating” on time graduation works.
• Make sure your drop out data is clean - Such as verifying student continued enrollment.
• Identify your districts challenges to graduation for students - This could be attendance policy, grading practices, registration processes, and your master schedule.
• Develop consistent data representations and use them – assumptions will be inaccurate.
• Know the barriers kids face – Move from numbers to names.
• Look at your grade distributions, identify your high failure rate classes.
• Analyze your F distributions. Focus improvement efforts on 1-F students.
• Interventions - Discover which type of intervention works better for your kids and district.
• Prevention is Key (Because interventions don’t work)
• Maintain Rigor - Don't give up on the plans you have set in motion!

He taught the most important aspect of raising numbers at graduation is the ability you have to focus in on individual students.  It's important to not letting any of them slip through the system.

Note: Watch Tammie and Terry's entire presentations online!
*First Time Viewers- Register for the event, come back to THIS page, and view it as a Registered Viewer. Register!
*Registered Viewers- If you want to view the webinar again, simply Click Here to Watch!
 

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