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School Zone
United Way's Achievers for Live
Impact Revealed - Dropout Pilot Results in Significant
Achievements
On October 29
at Matthew
Gilbert
Middle School,
United Way
of Northeast Florida
leaders and Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals announced
the first-year results of the community impact strategy
focused on dropout prevention-Achievers For Life. Statistically significant improvements were
demonstrated in areas shown to predict early withdrawal
from high school.
"I am extremely pleased to
share that
United Way and our partners
have developed an innovative strategy to address the
high school dropout epidemic in our community," said
Chris Hazelip, attorney with
Rogers
Towers, P.A. and chair of
United Way's
Achievers For Life
Partnership Council. "Through
Achievers For Life,
nearly 150 sixth-grade students and their families have
reversed middle school challenges and increased their
engagement in school as demonstrated in significant
gains in GPAs and promotion rates. These families and
our community will reap the benefits for many years to
come."
In addition to improved GPAs
and higher promotion rates, first-year achievements
included fewer suspensions and lower course failure
rates. These accomplishments are critical because they
address the most powerful predictors for dropout risk,
which include 80 percent or less school attendance,
failure of sixth grade math or English, out-of-school
suspension, and a poor final behavior grade, as
identified by Dr. Robert Balfanz, a researcher with
Johns Hopkins University.
The costs of dropping out of
school ripple through the community in the form of
increased crime and incarceration rates, greater
dependence on public assistance and public healthcare,
and lost tax revenue to support necessary education and
public programs.
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