Graduate Greenville: A Program for High School Success

Marquis was a dropout, homeless and drifting. But on the first Saturday after school started, one recent fall, he accepted the invitation of school personnel and community members to return to school and graduate.

These people were knocking on the doors of students like Marquis as part of Graduate Greenville’s Opening Doors to Success Day. Now, when I watch our promotional video, hear Marquis’ name called and see him walk across the stage to receive his diploma, I cheer.

Graduate Greenville, established in 2005, is a student support program intended to increase the graduation rate in the Greenville County schools we serve: Berea, Greenville, Greer, Southside and Travelers Rest High Schools. The organization was formed after a Community Action Plan was developed by 250 community members to address the dropout rate in our schools. With leadership from The Alliance for Quality Education, the school district and the United Way of Greenville County, Graduate Greenville was formed. The program’s priorities include researching national models and effective practices, visiting best practice sites, and reviewing current practices and programs in our high schools.  In addition, community forums were held throughout Greenville County with participation from nearly 800 people from all sectors of the community.

The strategies employed by Graduate Greenville to serve the students are: early identification; a four-week Summer Academic/Enrichment Program; graduation coaches to work intensely with students throughout their high school years; and community involvement through mentoring, tutoring and an “Opening Doors to Success” day where we visit the homes of students who have not yet returned to school.

We all know the importance of early identification and prevention in the medical field; it is no different in the educational arena. Middle school teachers and counselors identify potential Graduate Greenville students who exhibit characteristics of dropouts but who show promise. They may be failing a course, have failed a grade, or have attendance or discipline issues.  These students are invited to take part in a four-week Summer Enrichment Program. In June, students and their parents attend a parent dinner where they are introduced to the teachers in the summer program, the school administrators and the graduation coach, who is also the director of the Summer Enrichment Program. Students sign a contract promising to fulfill their part in making the summer program a successful transition for them into high school.

In an article in a recent issue of Time magazine, “The Case Against Summer Vacation” David Von Drehle shares research on the loss of summer learning and cites programs across the nation that are providing the kind of summer learning to help struggling students stay on track. Graduate Greenville has the characteristics of the programs mentioned: both academic and enrichment opportunities, field trips to universities and businesses, and community service. With the loss of funding for schools, summer programs at school sites are almost non-existent. The Graduate Greenville Summer Enrichment Program fills this need.

The Summer Enrichment Program takes place during four weeks in July at each site. In the morning, students study math and Language Arts through classroom and computer instruction. The math program, Cognitive Tutor, Bridge to Algebra, is a research-based program that complements a curriculum the school district uses during the school year. The Language Arts program includes students reading a book titled, The Pact, where the final project includes them making a pact with themselves to continue in school. They seal their Pact in an envelope and the graduation coaches keep those envelopes until the students graduate, at which time they will be returned to the student.

In the afternoon of the Summer Enrichment Program, students are involved in a variety of learning activities: financial literacy, science activities, food and nutrition, visiting artists and guest speakers who address goal setting. On Fridays the students take field trips. Each trip focuses on one of the following: a college or university tour, a tour of a local business, a community service project and a fun trip. This year we took the students white water rafting.

In the fall, the students begin their freshmen year and their close connection with the graduation coach. They meet weekly for updates on grades, attendance, family situations and personal issues. The graduation coach visits them in their homes, assists with trips to the doctor and helps them with activities like getting a driver’s license, going on job interviews or with any emergencies that may occur. The United Way, our partner organization, provides assistance to families when hardships are too great to bear - an unpaid power or water bill, glasses, prescriptions, or even tickets to the senior prom. Coaches build a strong relationship that is sustained through their high school career. They also work with students who are recommended by the school administration or who have returned to school on Opening Doors Day, which is where Marquis and his graduation coach met. Throughout the year, she picked Marquis up for school, assisted him by securing tutors, and ultimately helped him enroll at Greenville Technical College after graduation.

Now in its fourth year in some schools, Graduate Greenville is yielding positive results; 74.5 percent of students enrolled in the program last year were promoted to the next grade. Other school districts in the state have looked at the program to see if it could work in their areas. This year we will have our first senior class, though fourteen students in the Graduate Greenville program graduated last year, some a year early. Students like Marquis — and others who fight the odds and graduate — are at the very soul of Graduate Greenville.

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Marge Scieszka is director of Graduate Greenville. For more information on the program and its graduates, visit www.unitedwaygc.org and www.graduategreenville.org