The PepsiCo Foundation has announced a three-year, $6 million grant to the Diplomas Now collaborative for efforts to address high dropout rates in select cities across the country.
Launched two years ago with a $5 million grant from the PepsiCo Foundation, Diplomas Now combines the resources of City Year, Communities In Schools, and the John Hopkins Talent Development High Schools Program to help at-risk middle and high school students get back on track, graduate, and prepare for college and a career. The grant will be used to expand the program in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and San Antonio and to establish new programs in other cities, including Detroit.
The program's turnaround model hinges on research conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools and the Philadelphia Education Fund which found that 75 percent of America's high school dropouts can be "flagged" between sixth and ninth grades by monitoring "off-track indicators" such as poor attendance and behavior and failing grades in English or math. Diplomas Now monitors these indicators and responds at the first warning sign with interventions tailored to students' needs. In the program's first year, it exceeded its goal of reducing off-track indicators by 25 percent among students in schools where the program was implemented.
"Examining early-warning indicators and working closely with school administrators and teachers, we identify off-track students and develop customized strategies to get them back on track and keep them there," said Robert Balfanz, director of the John Hopkins Talent Development High Schools Program. "PepsiCo Foundation's contribution will help expand our efforts in key cities and ensure effective school reform, consistent hands-on student engagement, and tailored interventions for high-risk students."
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