As a teacher at Henrietta Lacks Health and BioScience High School, I know how incredibly challenging the past year has been for students, parents, teachers and school leaders across our state. But even in the midst of so much deep disruption in our education system, there are glimmers of resiliency and creativity in our shared work to help every student succeed.
One example of that is our partnership with the Center for High School Success through an Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction pilot project to identify ninth-graders at risk of not graduating high school and intervene with a plan to help them succeed. The demands of online learning have made our Ninth Grade Success Team especially critical and we have been encouraged in our school to see ninth-graders – including English Language Learners – improve their academic performance and GPA during the pandemic.
For now, this is just a pilot, but the Legislature has an opportunity to grant additional funding for the program so that more students across our state can enjoy this student-specific approach for helping them succeed. I hope that lawmakers are as encouraged by the data as we are and that they include funding to expand this program this year.
