Administration Announcing New Program To Reduce Drop-Out Rate

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President Obama today will detail the money in his budget proposal for a national effort to turnaround the nation’s worst schools and a new plan aimed at reducing the drop-out rates among high schoolers.

The plan is built upon the idea that engaging students from as early as sixth grade can make sure they stay on track, and identifying troubled teens early and devoting alternative resources to those students will help keep them there. It looks to better prepare students for both college and going directly to a career.

Obama will outline the plan at an America’s Promise Alliance Education event today at the Chamber of Commerce with Colin Powell and Alma Powell. The White House said Obama will talk about the need to reform the worst schools, and in some cases shut them down or take them over.

The White House said that 1.2 million kids drop out of school each year, costing the nation $319 billion in “potential earnings.” About 2,000 of the nation’s high schools account for half of the dropout students, pointing toward a real need to reform the worst schools, the administration said.

The president earmarked $3.5 billion in funding for states to identify their high schools with a graduation rate of below 60 percent. The Department of Education will award turnaround grants to 5,000 of the nation’s worst schools over the next five years.

To get the money, school districts and state officials will have to choose between these four models outlined by Secretary Arne Duncan.

Turnaround Model: Among other actions, the school district must replace the principal and at least half of the school staff, adopt a new governance structure for the school, and implement a new or revised instructional program.

Restart Model: The school district must close and reopen the school under the management of a charter school operator, a charter management organization or an educational management organization selected through a rigorous review process. A restart school would be required to admit, within the grades it serves, any former student who wishes to attend.

School Closure: The school district must close the failing school and enroll the students who attended that school in other, higher-achieving schools in the district.

Transformational Model: The school must address four areas of reform, including (1) developing teacher and school leader effectiveness (and replacing the principal who led the school prior to commencement of the transformational model); (2) implementing comprehensive instructional reform strategies; (3) extending learning and teacher planning time and creating community-oriented schools; and (4) providing operating flexibility and sustained support.

Obama also will outline a $50 million for a Graduation Promise Fund to help stave off dropouts. Among other things, the money would fund personalized one-on-one teaching to keep students engaged, alternative schools and career- and work-based school credit programs to help get troubled kids back on track to a diploma.

Finally, the budget includes $100 million for a new “College Pathways Program” that puts more accelerated courses in “high-need” high schools and that encourages dual enrollment with colleges to earn an Associate’s Degree while still in high school.

Obama also will tout a new effort to encourage students to fill out Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms, with the administration saying that increases a student’s chance of attending college.

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