Best Practices: Re-Engagement Centers

Gail Forbes-Harris, Director, Boston Re-Engagement Center

Re-engagement of dropouts refers to the practice of reaching out to dropouts, getting to know them, reconnecting them with an educational pathway, and providing follow-up support.

It is different than recruiting for one program; it is about identifying the landscape of dropouts, reconnecting as many as possible with educational programs, and documenting both the successes and failures to inform local efforts to align programs with these students’ needs.

Re-engagement centers

How it works: Retrieve district or state data on race & cultural group, age, gender Organize your data to see the types and sizes of the different groups Retrieve data on age and academic status (credits accumulated or grade

level)

Why it works: Data will identify the types of cultural capacity you need for your re-

engagement staff Data will identify the types of educational programs you will need for

placement

Best Practice 1: Use data to drive your model

REC: Students advised and students placedEach school year since REC opening

Size of selected REC services and populationsSchool year 2013-2014 only

REC stick rates over four yearsAmong study cohorts, all students placed, & all students placed not at REC

REC graduates by year of graduation

How it works: Share your data on student demographic and academic characteristics with

local school district and community agencies Asset map: take a “census” of programs tailored to the needs of your large

groups of students Work with the willing to bring on more capacity where needed Keep and share data on your customers’ characteristics and their ability to

find placements and to persist in those placements

Why it works: Collaboration will provide the right type of differentiated placements for

the young people you will re-engage

Best Practice 2: Work with school district or local providers to align local capacity with students’ needs

How it works: Reach out to youth providers individually and identify their perceptions of

youth needs, re-engagement and how they might want to be involved. Develop agreement about what services might be exchanged Communicate regularly Assess how things are going, periodically and together

Why it works: Partnerships will help you organize an array of services that your agency

cannot provide for your re-engaged youth

Best Practice 3: Develop strong partnerships

How it works: Start or join a collaborative focused on the dropout issue or a related area Share your work and your learnings with the collaborative

Why it works: The collective impact model allows for a variety of perspectives and

synergy to help solve problems This model provides a network of support to advocate for the type of

changes needed

Best Practice 4: If possible, utilize a cross-sector collective impact process

How it works: Begin with a welcoming atmosphere and encourage youth to tell their stories Make sure to actively listen to the young person Through interviews and forms, gather information necessary to understand and

act on students’ needs, whether personal, social, or academic Develop a service plan

Why it works: It helps young people feel comfortable and open up This environment allows the Center to get to know a young person’s needs,

which will inform the service plan Service plans allow staff to support a student through a process that may take

several phases

Best Practice 5: Develop and implement an intake and assessment strategy

How it works: Using transcript data and information from student interview, help student

choose the best school for his or her needs Assist the student with enrollment paperwork Introduce the student to the school leader before student starts classes

Why it works: The right fit and the right entry into a school or program makes a student’s

success far more likely

Best Practice 6: Develop and implement a clear supported referral process in concert with your receiving schools

How it works: Make sure each young person has a staff mentor or counselor paying

attention to his or her needs and process during the assessment, referral, and transition period

If possible, provide follow-up support to help students successfully complete the first year or full program

Why it works: Most of these youth, though strong and resilient, have experienced acute

or chronic trauma, and need support and encouragement to succeed in an area where they have previously failed

Best Practice 7: Develop a strong culture of support

Boston: Number of dropouts and dropout rateSY 2005-06 to SY 2012-13

Questions & discussion