Reengagement Centers: Key Element in a City Strategy to Recover Dropouts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
2:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Speakers:
- Andrew Moore, National League of Cities
- Kathy Hamilton, Boston Private Industry Council
- Gail Forbes-Harris, Boston Public Schools
- Justin Green, Philadelphia Youth Network
- Ken Karamichael, Rutgers University/Newark YE 2 S Center
- Greg Emmel, Omaha Directions Diploma (D2) Center
- Carolyn Miller, Omaha Directions Diploma (D2) Center
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Re-Engagement Center Overview

The School District of Philadelphia
Project Overview
440 N. Broad Street, Suite 1013
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Hotline: (215) 400-6700
Fax: (215) 400-4179
Philadelphia Re-Engagement Center Overview

 Seed funding from the Project U-Turn collaborative (Philadelphia Youth Network &
William Penn Foundation)
 Commitment from district for space, personnel and operating funds
 Commitment from city for staffing support
 Regular engagement of all partners in design, implementation, and ongoing operation
 Partner with community based organizations
Philadelphia Re-Engagement Center Overview

 Connect individuals 15 and older who are out of school or in school and struggling, to a high school diploma, GED, or academic skills program
 Support a successful transition back to education by connecting students to social services and other resources as needed (e.g., childcare)
 Serve students in an environment that empowers them to reach their goals of returning to school
Philadelphia Re-Engagement Center Overview

Philadelphia High School Diploma or Equivalency Programs for Youth and Adults
Accelerated
High Schools
Educational
Options Programs
Gateway to
College
Other Programs
Student enrollment varies
* Ages 15-21
*13.5 or fewer high school credits prior to enrolling
* Able to earn HS diploma before age 24
* Computer based
* Teacher based
* Project based
* Earn up to 12 credits per year
* Ages 17 and older
* More than 8 HS credits prior to enrolling
* Enrollment every 3 months
* Must not be enrolled in regular day school
* Classes held Oct-
June, three sessions annually, Mon-Thurs,
3-6:30 p.m.
*Earn 6-10 cr./yr
* Ages 16-21
* Able to earn HS diploma before age 22
* Pass exam of 8 th grade literacy and math ability
* Dual enrollment
* Earn up to thirty college credits
* Earn up to 9 cr./yr towards diploma
GED
* Ages 18 and older
SDP Credit Recovery
*Regularly enrolled HS students
Skill Building
Programs
*Ages 16-21

 Welcome & Intake
 Achenbach System of
Empirically Based
Assessments (ASEBA)
 >9,000 since 2008
 75% re-enroll within three months of initial contact
 ETO database
 Meet with a Reengagement Specialist
 TABE testing
 Referral to an appropriate program
 Scheduled orientation dates
Philadelphia Re-Engagement Center Overview

D2 Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Greg Emmel & Carolyn Miller,
Directors www.d2center.org
402-502-8534

Funding
Sherwood Foundation
City of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Foundation
NE Crime Commission,
Office of Violence
Prevention
Program Coordination
Sherwood Foundation, private foundation
Building Bright Futures, local nonprofit
D2 Center Directors
Greg Emmel
Carolyn Miller
D2 Center Intake Specialists and Administrative Support
D2 Center Certified
Teachers for Elective Credit Courses
Youth Academic Navigators
(YAN Program with agency partners)
Community Providers & Partners
• School Districts
• Social Service Agencies
• Mental / Behavioral Health
• Post-Secondary Institutions
• Juvenile Justice
• Other BBF Programs
Omaha D2 Center Overview

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City partnership: City of Omaha Truancy Prevention Program partially funds Youth Academic Navigators assigned to each youth for frequent contact and support; YANs employed by communitybased agencies
Elective credit courses: Taught by certified teachers; accelerated, flexible scheduling; small class size; literacy, numeracy, et al
Incoming referrals: chiefly from community-based organizations,
Douglas County Probation, Omaha Public Schools (OPS), BBF
Teen & Young Parent Program, D2 Center staff & YANs
Intake: Interview, online math & reading assessment (Wonderlic
WBST), parent / guardian interview; followed by separate Action
Plan meeting
Outgoing referrals: BBF Teen & Young Parent Program, GEDs
(Goodwill Youth Partnership, Metro CC, OPS), Gateway to College
(Metro CC), housing assistance, drug/alcohol counseling, career exploration, etc.
Data system: nFocus TraxSolutions
Omaha D2 Center Overview

Center
applications (May 2011 - Jan. 2012) 83
Total active students
Total Building Bright Total Futures Teen
Parents
Total Douglas County Probation Students
Total enrollment in D2 Center courses*
61
15
16 (2 on adult probation)
18
Total D2 Center elective credits earned*
Total high school credits earned
Total High School Diplomas earned
* through 1 st semester 2011-2012
Omaha D2 Center Overview
0
14
In progress

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Process: Outline current options; identify youth needs; determine gaps; sketch increased MPG options
Cross-organizational: local school districts, postsecondary education, government, community agencies
D2 Center, Building Bright Futures, City of Omaha, and
Sherwood Foundation planned and hosted MPG Summit
Nov. 2011 in partnership with NLC YEF Institute and
JFF; panel included Mayor of Omaha Mayor, President of Metro Community College, and Commissioner of the
Nebraska Department of Education
Showcase of existing MPG providers from 7 districts & 3 private institutions
Omaha D2 Center Overview

Gail Forbes Harris, Director - BPS
Kathy Hamilton, Youth Transitions
Coordinator – Boston PIC

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Reach out to dropouts via phone, letter, Connect-Ed
First visit: meet with youth, families
Several visits: Help youth re-enroll in school: transcript assessment, school choice, enrollment
Follow up bi-weekly to provide students with support to persist
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Hire adult professionals who were former dropouts
Focus on building relationships, responsiveness
Physical location
Build relationships with other agencies
Offer some computerbased classes on site, esp. when difficult to re-enroll

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1,891: Out of School Youth
 1,621: 16 and Older, Out of School Youth
 270: Under 16, Out of School Youth
700+ Engaged in “15 minute” conversation at Center
 545 Connected to a school or educational options
(7/2010 - 6/2011)
 464 Re-enrolled in District, District Alt Ed, and
CBO Alt Ed; 81 in GED & Adult Education
 57 Graduated
Study cohort – those re-enrolling July-October 2010
 284 Re-enrolled = 65% stick rate

41% 41% 63% 65 %
18
80
22
78
54
67
87
35
90
83
171
184
SY 07-08
208
Currently Attending
SY 08-09
202
SY 09-10
269 REC
Withdrew
SY 10-11
284 REC
Did Not Accept Assignment

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Rutgers T.E.E.M. Gateway
“Building Productive Futures for the Youth of New
Jersey” www.youthsuccesscenter.org

 Starts in each city with agreement between Mayor,
Superintendent re: importance of youth engagement
 Partners provide additional supports, enrichment
 Process:
 Personal outreach to dropouts
 Accessible location – easy initial intake
 Instructors & CBO staff on site
 Coordinated by Rutgers University
TEEM Gateway – Urban Youth Development arm of Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2
Newark – 2008
Downtown Newark Business District
Co-Located with NPS Hybrid HS / Community Partners
CISNJ / Boys and Girls Club / Hetrick-Martin Institute
Trenton – 2010
Downtown Trenton
Co-Located within the Daylight/Twilight High School
& Mercer County Community College
Camden – 2012
Two locations – Camden City Community /Recreation Centers

 Newark YE2S Center has engaged 5,000 young adults, re-enrolled 3,500 since January 2008
 Enhanced services with AmeriCorps members, mature workers, mentors, school district social workers
 Next steps
 Short term – moving from social to mobile media; communicating youth success stories
 Longer term – expand research & assessment integration

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Four cities on call today plus:
Dayton, Ohio
Denver, Colorado
Indianapolis, Indiana
Portland, Oregon
Several more cities:
Reengagement
Centers in development
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Informational phone calls + yearly meeting
Share information via
Dropbox
Next call:
March 6, 2012;
2:30pm ET moore@nlc.org
for more information