LPS HSGI: Improving the Graduation Rates of All Students

Lincoln Public Schools:
High School Graduation Initiative
NASB Education Forum
February 28, 2014
Presenters
• Mr. Don Mayhew, President, Board of Education, Lincoln
Public Schools, dmayhew@lps.org
• Mrs. Kathy Danek, Vice President, Board of Education,
Lincoln Public Schools, kdanek@lps.org
• Mr. Kurt Glathar, Principal, Lincoln Northeast High
School, kglath@lps.org, 402 436-1303
• Mr. T. J. McDowell, Federal Programs Specialist, Lincoln
Public Schools, tmcdowe@lps.org, 402 436-1867
• Dr. Patrick Hunter-Pirtle, Director of Secondary
Education, Lincoln Public Schools, ppirtle@lps.org, 402
436-1637
Presentation Objectives
• Provide overview of the LPS goal to increase
graduation rates for all students.
• Present Lincoln Northeast High School: A Case
Study.
• Share how LPS secured financial resources to
fund interventions and achieve the district
strategic goal.
LPS Demographics
• The city of Lincoln has a population of 258,000
residents (13% ethnic minority)
• LPS has 37,880 Pre-K – 12th grade students
• 30% Ethnic Minorities
• 44% Qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch
LPS Strategic Goal
Strategic Objective #1: Increase
graduation rate by three percentage
points for on-time (four year)
graduation rate (to 90%) by 2016 –
with focus on subgroups graduating
below average – and continue to
support fifth and sixth year graduates.
How We Started
• In 2009, Dr. Marilyn Moore, Associate
Superintendent for Instruction, convened high
school principals to review individual students
who had dropped out from the Class of 2008
cohort and asked, “Why were they not
successful?”
• This led to a Community Conversation in which
300 school and community leaders discussed
how to work together to increase graduation
rates.
What We Learned
• Students from the Class of 2008 who dropped
out faced a myriad of challenges: mental health
and substance abuse issues, juvenile justice
involvement, homelessness, students from
immigrant and refugee families who are learning
English, student parents, and state wards.
District-Wide Initiatives to Increase
Graduation Rates
• Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
(PBIS)
• Professional development on cultural proficiency
for all staff
Lincoln Northeast High School
LNE Students at a Glance
LNE Students
Total Enrollment
1482
Ethnicity
28%
Free/Reduced Lunch
53%
Special Education
18%
Gifted/Highly Gifted
15%
Students per Counselor
300
Average Daily Attendance
92%
More Specific LNE Student Data
Graduation Rate
83.2%
2008 - 225 On Time Graduates/Out of 330 Total Students =
68% On Time Graduation
2013 – 299 On Time Graduates/Out of 360 Total Students =
83% On Time Graduation
Average GPA
2.95
Average ACT
*19.2
Students on Honor Roll
19%
Average Students per Grade in AP/Honors Classes
26%
Not On Track to Graduate with Their Class
8.4%
First Generation College
68%
10th Graders failing 3+ classes during semester
15%
(68% 6 years ago)
(22.5)
More Specific Student Data
College-going rate
82%
Two-Parent Family
57%
Internet Access at Home
88%
Students New to Northeast each year
282
(19%)
Wards of the State
61
(5%)
(64% 6 years ago)
LNE Student Demographic Data
Demographic Group
2010
2011
2012
2013
All Students
72.2%
75.35%
82.7%
82.08%
25%
60%
66.76%
0.0%*
Hispanic
47.8%
70%
82.61%
77.78%
Black
68.4%
60%
86.96%
80.0%
Asian/Pacific Islander
91.7%
100%
100%
0.0%*
White Students
74.4%
75.65%
83.4%
83.03%
American Indian/Alaska
Native
Northeast Graduation Data
Students with Disabilities
N/A
49.12%
66.10%
61.9%
Limited English
Proficiency
N/A
100%
0.0%*
0.0%*
Economically
Disadvantaged
N/A
78.03%
84.56%
80.77%
Northeast Initiatives to Increase
Graduation Rates
• School Improvement Goal to Improve
Graduation Rate to 83% by 2013 by improving
writing skills and vocabulary development
across the curriculum.
• Not on Track (NOT) to Graduate System
• Increased College-Going Rates to 82% for Class
of 2012 (+18 percentage points in 2 years)
Not On Track (NOT) Watch List
System
• Alpha Counselor and Administrator meet every
week to review students who are on the Watch
List (NOT) and Extra Support Time (EST)
• Students are placed on Watch List for failing two
or more classes.
• Parents are called, teachers are contacted, and
appropriate interventions are identified i.e.
Social Worker, IEP Manager, Academic
Resource Center, Child Welfare Check, Daily
Check-In, etc.
Sample 10th Grade Watch List
(Google Doc)
EST: Sample Student List
Summer School Statistics
Increased College Going Rate
100%
90%
85%
85%
80%
82%
84%
88%
70%
60%
50%
Planned
40%
30%
64%
78%
72%
82%
81%
20%
10%
0%
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Actual
Increased Graduation Rate
As our Staff, Students and
Parents described us in one word
© 2013 AdvancED 21
High School Graduation Initiative
(HSGI) Grant
• In October 2010, LPS received a 5-year, $4.5
million grant from the U.S. Department of
Education-High School Graduation Initiative
Fund
• 29 school districts received grant awards
through a competitive process
• Lincoln High, Northeast, and North Star High
Schools are the HSGI target schools
HSGI Interventions to Increase
Graduation Rates
• Community Partnerships: UNL-Building Bridges,
Child Guidance Center, HUB, and TeamMates
• Math Interventionists and Instructional Coaches
focused on Algebra and Geometry
• Increased Social Worker time from 1.5 days to 4
days at the three HSGI schools
Community Partnerships
• HUB: Provides a full-time Youth Specialist
focused on dropout prevention and reengagement at Lincoln High
• UNL Building Bridges: Provides counseling and
academic skills building workshops for freshmen
students at Northeast
• Child Guidance Center: Provides a 3/4-time
therapist at North Star
• TeamMates: Provided 60 new mentor/mentee
matches for the Class of 2015 at HSGI Schools
Math Intervention
• HSGI Grant funds a full-time Math Interventionist
at each HSGI school to provide additional
Algebra or Geometry instruction to students oneon-one or in small groups.
• The additional instruction occurs during the
school day and is generally short-term (1 to 3
meetings with interventionist)
• The full-time Math Coach at Lincoln High works
with teachers one-on-one to improve instruction.
Social Worker Intervention
• Increased Social Worker Time at each HSGI School
by .5 FTE.
• Social Workers work with students and families to
address non-academic issues and connect to
community resources.
• Social Workers have worked with community
partners to increase mental health services available
to students and families.
• Social Workers created Food Markets, Clothing
Closets, Latino Empowerment Programs, and
programs to support LGBT students.
LPS HSGI Schools Graduation
Rates
School
2010
2011
2012
2013
Lincoln
High
65.6%
69.26%
69.31%
69.03%
Northeast
72.2%
75.35%
82.70%
82.08%
North
Star
78.1%
75.47%
80.60%
77.6%
District
80.1%
80.74%
83.26%
83.71%
Northeast HSGI Outcomes
• Algebra Pass Rate increased from 64.6% during
the 2011-12 school year to 79.8% in 2012-13
• Building Bridges – 15 of 19, or 79% of
participants earned 30 or more credits during the
Fall-Semester of the 2012-13 school year.
• BARR – Freshmen attendance improved to
94.4% during 2011-12 year from 93.5% previous
year; F’s reduced from 32% to 30%
Future Steps
•
•
•
•
Career Academy
Increased focused on dropout re-engagement
Freshmen Transition
Full implementation of BIST and PBIS in all LPS
schools
• Increased data driven decision-making
• Continue the journey on improving the cultural
proficiency of all LPS staff
• Sustainability of grant-funded initiatives
Questions and Answers
Presenters
• Mr. Don Mayhew, President, Board of Education, Lincoln
Public Schools, dmayhew@lps.org
• Mrs. Kathy Danek, Vice President, Board of Education,
Lincoln Public Schools, kdanek@lps.org
• Mr. Kurt Glathar, Principal, Lincoln Northeast High
School, kglath@lps.org, 402 436-1303
• Mr. T. J. McDowell, Federal Programs Specialist, Lincoln
Public Schools, tmcdowe@lps.org, 402 436-1867
• Dr. Patrick Hunter-Pirtle, Director of Secondary
Education, Lincoln Public Schools, ppirtle@lps.org, 402
436-1637