Program 1: Second Chances

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 co- director 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:

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.

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

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

Lecester Johnson, executive director, Academy of Hope Adult Education Center, Washington D.C.

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.

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

New Program! Program 5: Building a Better Life The new program in the series looks at successful apprentice and training-based programs that are preparing undereducated and underemployed people for available jobs by teaching marketable skills. The expanded segments in this program are:

Café Hope is a program for young people training them for entry-level jobs in the New Orleans restaurant industry. The youth in this program are both undereducated and underemployed. Students receive intensive training in the restaurant industry—from cutting up and making use of a whole pig to point-of-sale where they serve the customer. The three-month program includes instruction in life skills, basic reading, and arithmetic. About 70 percent of Café Hope apprentices who complete the program find restaurant industry employment.

The Alexandria Seaport Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia provides at-risk, underserved youth in the Washington DC area with hands-on work-development training through boatbuilding. Mentors work alongside the apprentices, using carpentry and construction to teach mathematics and their life experience to guide students in how to live fulfilling, productive lives.

It was a serendipitous meeting between a manufacturer that needed skilled labor for a growing niche industry and a nonprofit education and employment agency serving people who have been unemployed for a long time, some of them homeless, some with no retirement. The Makers Coalition of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota was the result of that meeting and resulted in a training program at Dunwoody College of Technology for jobs in specialized sewing and production. The course places 90 percent of its graduates in the local hand-sewn garment industry.

Appearing in Building a Better Life: Chance Doyle, GED graduate, program director, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

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

Mona Wuertz, graduate, Sewing and Production Specialist Course, Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, Minnesota Deb Shepard, president, Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, South Dakota

Jen Guarino, CEO, J.W. Hulme, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Byron Finnidy, graduate, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Brianti Sumler, graduate, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Luis Arocha, executive director, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Kevon Joyce, graduate, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Tyron Depron, graduate, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Michael Acosta, graduate, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Joel Brown, sous chef, Café Hope, New Orleans, Louisiana

Joey LaBella, executive chef, New Orleans Steamboat Company, Steamboat Natchez, New Orleans, Louisiana

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

Lynn Rippy, executive director, YouthBuild Louisville, Kentucky

Joe Youcha, co-founder, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia

Juan Carlos Henriquez, apprentice, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia

A.J. Bawazir, graduate, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia

Jay Creech, volunteer, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia

Steve Hernandez, director, Apprentice Program, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia

Samuel Weeks, apprentice, Alexandria Seaport Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia

Tatjjana Hutnyak, director of Business Development, Lifetrack Resources, St. Paul, Minnesota Larry Corbesia, graduate, Sewing and Production Specialist Course, Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mike Miller, CEO, Airtex Design Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Debra Kerrigan, dean of Workforce Training and Continuing Education, Dunwoody College of Technology