Program 1: Second Chances
The first program in the series introduces the scope and huge personal and societal costs of
adults not having a high school diploma or equivalency. National experts describe the economic
strain on America, and educators and former dropouts provide additional context to two
expanded stories of individual achievement: (more)
Kellie Blair Hardt is a special education teacher at Rippon Middle School in Woodbridge, Virginia
(Prince William County). She was often homeless as a child and faced personal and educational
challenges, finally getting back on track through Harpers Ferry Job Corps. In 2013, she was one
of five teachers nationwide to receive the National Education Association’s Horace Mann Award
for Teaching Excellence and is pursuing a Ph.D. in education. She uses her own story to inspire
her students.
Hasan Davis is a youth advocate and former Kentucky Commissioner of Juvenile Justice. He
faced many challenges while still young: family crises, learning disabilities, a pre-teen arrest, and
multiple expulsions. His mother enrolled him in Horizons School, an alternative school in Atlanta
that still operates. Although he was ultimately expelled, the principal’s and his mother’s faith in
him led him to be persistent. He got a GED certificate, enrolled at Berea College in Kentucky
and went on to get a law degree at the University of Kentucky. He uses his story not only to help
young people but to encourage others not to make assumptions or close people out of
opportunities.
Also appearing in Second Chances:
Linda Hunter, GED student, and Lecester Johnson, executive director of Academy of Hope, a
community-based organization in Washington, D.C.
Ebony Nava, GED graduate and community college student at Bluegrass Community and
Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky
Victor Rios, former dropout and gang member, currently a Professor of Sociology at University
of California Santa Barbara, author of Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys
Tricia Amos, GED graduate and student at Enemy Swim Day School in Peever, South Dakota
Chase Henderson, GED graduate and adult education tutor at Delgado Community College, New
Orleans, Louisiana
Ronald Ferguson, professor in the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University and codirector of Harvard’s Achievement Gap Initiative
Stephen Rose, economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce,
Washington, D.C.
Greg Mathis, GED graduate and former district court judge in Detroit, Michigan; star of
syndicated TV program Judge Mathis taped in Chicago, Illinois
Josh Wyner, Executive Director, Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, Washington, DC
Russell Rumberger, professor of education, University of California Santa Barbara and author of
Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It
Kavitha Cardoza, special correspondent, WAMU, American University Radio, Washington, D.C.,
who researched and created an award-winning series on dropouts in the Washington area
Tony Mitchell, GED graduate and resident at North Lawndale Adult Transition Center, Chicago,
Illinois, a work/release program for convicts operated by the Safer Foundation
Eva Holt, GED graduate, Mercer County, Kentucky
Amy Matthews, co-director, Mercer County Adult Education, Harrodsburg, Kentucky
James Hooten, GED graduate, graduate of the YouthBuild program, Louisville, KY (YouthBuild is a
national program with several hundred locations across the nation), and owner of Hooten Home
Services, Louisville, Kentucky
Program 2: More than a Statistic
The longer someone is out of school, the harder it is to go back. This program focuses on
alternative schools and programs designed to reach young dropouts as soon as possible. The
featured profiles are: (more)
Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, located in Chicago, Illinois, in a Puerto Rican
neighborhood, this school uses a cultural and community focus and individualized and holistic
instructional philosophies to help young dropouts return to school and graduate. Interviews
with principals, teachers, students, and alumni give evidence to the reasons behind the school’s
long, successful track record graduating students who had already been failed by the school
system. In
YouthBuild, a national program combining academics with mentoring and construction career
training for young people, 16 to 24 years old. YouthBuild partcipants work toward getting their
GED credential or high school dipoma, to prepare for college, to learn vocational skills, and to do
hands-on work building low-income housing.
Also appearing on More than a Statistic:
Ronald Ferguson, professor in the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University and codirector of Harvard’s Achievement Gap Initiative
Matthew Rodriguez, principal, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Judy Diaz, dean of students, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Victor Rios, former dropout and gang member, currently a Professor of Sociology at University
of California Santa Barbara, author of Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys
Nadia Young, student, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Hasan Davis, former dropout, youth advocate and former Kentucky Commissioner of Juvenile
Justice
Julian Valentin, student, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Russell Rumberger, professor of education, University of California Santa Barbara and author of
Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It
Kellie Blair Hardt, GED graduate, currently a special education teacher, Rippon Middle School in
Woodbridge, Virginia
Jessie Fuentes, alumna, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Tashira Velez, student, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Brittany Hernandez, student, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Lynn Rippy, executive director, YouthBuild Louisville
Judy Kasey, student services coordinator, YouthBuild Louisville
James Hooten, alumnus, YouthBuild Louisville
Macie Johnson, student/apprentice, YouthBuild Louisville
Andrew Hickok, construction trainer, YouthBuild Louisville
Martin Silver, student/apprentice, YouthBuild Louisville
Kimani Straub, student/apprentice, YouthBuild Louisville
Forest Alderink, operation director, YouthBuild Louisville
Program 3: Complicated Lives
The challenges faced by many dropouts go far beyond academics. Most dropouts are un- or
under-employed and many live in poverty. One expert quips that being poor is time
consuming—waiting for access to healthcare, transportation, food and welfare programs.
Meeting the many needs of their complicated lives is a key to success for many adult education
programs. The expanded segments in this program are: (more)
Tricia Amos and Enemy Swim Day School, Peever, South Dakota. Tricia faced a dysfunctional and
abusive family situation before dropping out. She was raped and later was in a shelter, when
someone told her about the FACE (Family and Child Education) program at Enemy Swim Day
School, a program serves both parents and children, where obtained a GED credential. She
speaks calmly and eloquently about the difficulties she has faced and about self-forgiveness and
persistence. The segment also addresses cultural aspects of her challenge—Native Americans
have the highest dropout rate of any cultural group in the U.S.
Academy of Hope, Washington, D.C. is a community-based adult education program that
recently became part of the nation’s capital’s network of adult alternative schools. The school
was founded by Marja Hilfiker and the Church of the Savior as part of its outreach work and is
located in a housing project in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
Also appearing on Complicated Lives:
Erin Landry, adult education coordinator, Delgado Community College, New Orleans, Louisiana
Chance Doyle, GED graduate, currently program director, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana
Jessie Fuentes, alumna, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Lecester Johnson, executive director, Academy of Hope Adult Education Center, Washington
D.C.
Ebony Nava, GED graduate and community college student at Bluegrass Community and
Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky
Greg Mathis, GED graduate and former district court judge in Detroit, Michigan; star of
syndicated TV program Judge Mathis, taped in Chicago, Illinois
Diego Navarro, founder, Academy for College Excellence, Cabrillo Community College, Aptos,
California
Steve Hernandez, director, Apprenticeship Program, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria,
Virginia
Victor Rios, former dropout and gang member, currently a Professor of Sociology at University
of California Santa Barbara, author of Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys
Marja Hilfiker, founder, Academy of Hope Adult Education Center, Washington D.C.
Linda Hunter, student, Academy of Hope Adult Education Center, Washington D.C.
Kavitha Cardoza, special correspondent, WAMU, American University Radio, Washington, DC,
who researched and created an award-winning series on dropouts in the Washington area
Stephen Ray, student, Academy of Hope Adult Education Center, Washington D.C.
Stephen Rose, economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce,
Washington, D.C.
Matthew Rodriguez, principal, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, Chicago, Illinois
Hector Perez, director, Barreto Club, Union League Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs
Russell Rumberger, professor of education, University of California Santa Barbara and author of
Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It
Keith Moore, interim director, South Dakota Office of Indian Education
Teresa Shoemaker, coordinator, Family and Child Education (FACE) program, Enemy Swim Day
School, Waubay, South Dakota
Program 4: Working for the Future
Helping America’s dropouts attain college and career readiness requires new thinking about
high school equivalency and post-secondary education. As a result, community colleges and
other institutions are changing. The expanded segments in this program are: (more)
Academy for College Excellence, located at Cabrillo Community College in Aptos, California, is a
one-semester program developed to assist under-prepared college students. Nationwide,
retention and completion rates for community college students are quite low. A majority of
Cabrillo’s ACE students come from low-income communities. Many have dropped out of high
school, been incarcerated, or spent time in drug rehabilitation programs. These non-traditional
students would be much more likely than the average student to give up on college. Founder
Diego Navarro (whose background includes training executives for Hewlett-Packard) describes
the program’s goal as “lighting the fire” to learn in a group of students that would normally be
the least likely to succeed in post-secondary education. The centerpiece of the semester’s
curriculum is a social justice research project in which the students, as a group, research and
choose a topic, create a list of questions, conduct one-on-one interviews in their community,
analyze results, create a report, and do a public presentation of their findings. Studies by
Columbia University and California Community Colleges document the program’s impressive
success.
A remarkable young couple, Nanci Bautista and Marco Salse, who came into the United States
from Mexico as children, dropped out of school partly because education seemed pointless: as
undocumented immigrants, their job opportunities would always be limited. That changed when
a federal program was announced that would allow undocumented immigrants who arrived in
the U.S. as children to receive legal residency status. One requirement of the program, though,
was that participants must have a high school diploma or high school equivalency. That was all
the encouragement this couple needed. Studying together, they earned their high school
equivalencies through a City Colleges of Chicago program in 2013 and are enrolled in the
college’s Gateway program, which provides academic and financial assistance to degree-seeking
students with demonstrated ability. Marco plans to pursue a career in a technology field. Nanci
hopes to become a teacher.
The Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota is an award-winning institution
focused on educating students so they can get a job upon graduation. Instructors are in regular,
weekly, sometimes daily, contact with local business and industry to ensure what they’re
teaching aligns to industry needs. Classes are small, interactive, and hands-on, and students
receive career guidance from day one. And they are successful—98 percent of LATI graduates
are employed or continuing their education.
Also appearing on Working for the Future:
Kellie Blair Hardt, GED graduate, currently a special education teacher, Rippon Middle School in
Woodbridge, Virginia
Ebony Nava, GED graduate and community college student at Bluegrass Community and
Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky
Lecester Johnson, executive director, Academy of Hope Adult Education Center, Washington
D.C.
Victor Rios, former dropout and gang member, currently a Professor of Sociology at University
of California Santa Barbara, author of Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys
Stephen Rose, economist, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce,
Washington, D.C.
Candice Riehl, certified midwife, Mayfield, Kentucky
Josh Wyner, director of higher education programs, Aspen Institute, Washington D.C.
Russell Rumberger, professor of education, University of California Santa Barbara and author of
Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It
Yancey Lashley, teacher, Kennedy King College, City Colleges of Chicago, Illinois
Sameer Gadkaree, associate vice chancellor, adult education, City Colleges of Chicago, Illinois
Andrea Kay, career consultant, author, and syndicated columnist, Northern Kentucky
Hasan Davis, former dropout, youth advocate and former Kentucky Commissioner of Juvenile
Justice
Victoria Banales, teacher, Cabrillo Community College, Aptos, California
Francesca Lopez, student, Cabrillo Community College, Aptos, California
Paul Maartense, student, Cabrillo Community College, Aptos, California
Steven Brown, student, Cabrillo Community College, Aptos, California
Ryan Hutchins, student, Cabrillo Community College, Aptos, California
Deb Shepard, president, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, South Dakota
Ross Keiffer, student, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, South Dakota
Scott Kulesa, Manager, C&B Operations, Watertown, South Dakota
Steve Henningsgaard, instructor, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, South Dakota
Dillan Sando, student, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, South Dakota
Tara Parmely, student, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, South Dakota
Jim Clendenin, instructor and department head, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown,
South Dakota