Granville County SIP- PROJECT: DEDICATE TO GRADUATE

1. Granville County SIP-PROJECT: DEDICATE TO GRADUATE South Granville High School

2. School Community- South Granville H.S. • SGHS is located in a rural area and classified as outside a Core Based Statistical Area. It is not a magnet school. • The school is attended by 847 students, this is higher than the state average of 794 for comparable schools. • Did not meet all of its Adequate Yearly Progress Goals, only met 7 out of 9 of the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind program. • 85% Graduation Rate, in the most recent 4 year cohort statistics. Sources: http://www.ncreportcards.org/src/servlet/srcICreatePDF?pSchCode=705&pLEACode=390&pYear=2010-2011 http://www.ncreportcards.org/src/servlet/srcICreatePDF?pSchCode=704&pLEACode=390&pYear=2010-2011 http://north-carolina.schooltree.org/public/South-Granville-High-063639.html

3. SIP GOAL Graduation rates will be increased to 100%. FOCUS – STRATEGY 2 Design and implement pyramids of intervention for attendance, behavior, and academics. Research consistently finds that high absenteeism—one specific indicator of engagement—is associated with higher dropout rates. Misbehavior in high school and delinquent behavior outside of high school are both significantly associated with higher dropout and lower graduation rates. In addition, drug or alcohol use during high school is associated with higher dropout rates. Teenage parenting and childbearing increase the odds of dropping out. Having friends who engage in criminal behavior or friends who have dropped out also increases the odds of dropping out, with such associations appearing as early as the seventh grade. Source: http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/CSN/PDF/Flyer+-+Why+students+drop+out.pdf

4. STEPS ONE & TWO 1. Design intervention plans during summer planning 2. Share and implement intervention plans with faculty

5. Administration/Teacher Role In Planning • Need to understand the impact of Social Deviance on Graduation Rates • The key to planning is making sure administrators and teachers have the resources and knowledge to address specific social concerns that have the potential to keep students from graduating high school. The resources for preparation will come from attending workshops and conferences, keeping up with up to date publications, and monitoring local statistics.

6. Summer Prep:Workshops & Conferences Provided with the right resources, administrators and teachers can learn the underlying factors that result in social deviance. In turn, they can do their best play interference between these social detriments and the students susceptible. Steps 1 & 2 would be to encourage/require teachers to attend workshops, conferences, and webinars available for the sole purpose of educating anyone, especially those working close with teens, on the root causes of social deviance. Teachers also need to be aware of articles and other publications dealing with current research.

7. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER • ADMINISTRATORS – MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROVIDING THE RESOURCES • (workshops, publications, local organizations, etc.) • Examples: • Teen Pregnancy: • Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of NC • WORKSHOP: Social Determinants That Affect Teen Pregnancy • CONFERENCE: 2012 APPCNC Annual Conference- The Big Picture: Finding a Whole Teen Approach to Prevention May 15-17, 2012 Greensboro, NC • Youth Drug Abuse: • NC Comprehensive School Health Training Center Workshops • Life Skills Training -- an evidence-based curriculum that reduces use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants • TEACHERS -DON’T RELY ON OTHERS – do your own research – YOU know your kids best!

8. Administrators and teachers analyze data and researchon national and local levels to determine which students in the school are potentially at risk and the best route to avoid such risks. STEP THREE 3. Identify (through intervention pyramid) students at risk

9. Teen Pregnancy Data • “When teens get pregnant, most drop out of school. When they drop out of school, they likely face a life of economic insecurity. And the role that discrimination plays in their decisions to drop out raises serious civil rights concerns.” • “Pregnancy is the #1 reason girls drop out of school.Approximately 70% of teenage girls who give birth leave school.  More than any other group of high school dropouts, girls who leave due to pregnancy report that they would have stayed in school if they had received greater support from the adults at school.” • “Illegal discrimination against these girls by school administrators, teachers, counselors and fellow students is a major contributing factor to their high dropout rates.  Also, research shows that when schools make an effort to support pregnant girls in their education, they can have a significant impact in lowering their drop-out rates.”

10. Teen Pregnancy • Discrimination against pregnant students is strictly prohibited by Title IX – the federal law banning sex discrimination in public schools – but it is widespread nonetheless.  Sometimes even the most subtle forms of discrimination can be enough to push pregnant teens out of school.  Schools refusing to give excused absences for pregnancy related doctor’s appointments, teachers refusing to allow make-up work, counselors coercing students into substandard alternative schools, excluding them from school activities based on “morality” codes, disparaging, discouraging and disapproving comments from adults and students – all of these can be illegal, yet all occur and contribute to the high dropout rates.

11. Granville County's 2011 Teen Pregnancy Rates • In 2011 for Granville County there were 468 teen pregnancies ranging from ages 15-19 with a teen birth rate of 44. • There is a major correlation with teen pregnancy and young women dropping out of school. Source: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/north-carolina/granville/14(2011 | Granville, North Carolina | Teen birth rate )

12. Solutions to Teen Pregnancy • Schools should create support groups to encourage these young women to continue to go to school. • Schools should have young mothers that have completed/not completed high school talk to these women to assure them of the positives. • Teachers should be educated on how to work with students who are pregnant or with child already. • Teachers should encourage teacher-student-parent seminars on how to work as a team for the well-being of the student.

13. Youth Drug Abuse Data • Recent National Studies have found that youth drug abuse is on the rise and that in many cases parents do not have the tools to deal with the problem. • In 2010 the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 21.2% of High School Seniors used marijuana, while only 19.2% smoked cigarettes. • It has been shown that students who drink or use drugs frequently are up to five times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school. A teenage marijuana user's odds of dropping out are more than twice that of a non-user. If the student is abusing pills or other narcotics such as ecstasy or cocaine the likelihood of dropping out is even higher. • Students involved in school sponsored extra-curricular activities were far less likely to try drugs than those who did participate in these activities or those who work after school. Sources: http://www.drugfree.org/newsroom/national-study-confirms-teen-drug-use-trending-in-wrong-direction-marijuana-ecstasy-use-up-since-2008-parents-feel-ill-equipped-to-respond http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/infofacts/high-school-youth-trends http://www.theantidrug.com/drug-information/marijuana-facts/how-marijuana-affects-learning.aspx

14. A calendar for the year will be set up during the summer months to arrange for guest speakers to come to the school periodically. STEP FOUR 4. Get the local community involved through the use of guest speakers.

15. Motivational Speakers • Laymon A. Hicks • Get Up, Get Out, and Go Get It “Prepare for a thrill ride of energy, empowerment, motivation, and strategy as Laymon creatively walks through some of the most powerful life principles that students need to pursue their dreams, goals, and greatness. This message shares Laymon’s unique story and shows students the similar effect these powerful principles can have on their lives.” • Turn My Swag On “Over 1 million students drop out of school each year. In this hard-hitting program, Laymon teaches students how not to become a statistic and to become more than a student. He shares key strategies to help students set themselves apart in any classroom. Students leave the session with a powerful action plan to be more, do more, and have more!” • Link +video: http://www.laymonhicks.com/programs/ (Laymon A. Hicks)

16. Motivational Speakers • Fabian Ramirez • Ramirez “is a huge advocate of education. Having a Masters degree has given Fabian a platform to speak on the subject, especially to at-risk youth who are close to dropping out of school. Fabian’s speech has made students think twice about dropping out and not only that but students have been known to get higher grades and set attainable goals after hearing his story. Fabian will always tell students that when they graduate, their family graduates with them.” • Link + video: http://www.fabianramirez.com/speaking (Fabian Ramirez)

17. Determine realistic graduation goals for the entire class and determine a group-appropriate incentive, as well as a few student-specific incentives for the high achievers STEP FIVE 5. Offer incentives for the entire class to encourage a high graduation rate (extrinsic motivation)

18. One method of extrinsic motivation is to offer a reward to the senior class as an incentive. While it is preferable at this stage for all students to be intrinsically motivated to graduate, this will not be the case. Thus, an appealing extrinsic motivation can go a long way towards convincing reluctant students that it is important to graduate. Potential Goals: -10% increase in graduation rate -Entire class graduates Possible Rewards: -A graduation party for the entire class. -The ability to for seniors to keep their school-issued laptops at the end of the year. -A lottery in which one student wins a large prize, such as a car ( which would be donated by a local organization). EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION: Student Incentives

19. A Reward to Work Towards: • Encourages students to take ownership of the goal. • Motivates students to encourage each other to graduate • By dropping out, students would be letting their entire class down, not just themselves. Peer pressure is a powerful tool when used in the right way. • While it is preferable at this stage for students to be intrinsically motivated to graduate, this might not be possible for every student. • **Thus, an appealing extrinsic motivation can go a long way towards convincing reluctant students that it is important to graduate.

20. Spread The Word • Posters and signs encouraging graduation in the halls and in the classroom are another good way to remind students of the importance of graduating. • Signs of Success- Examples of Celebrities who have completed college, that students may be surprised by. Celebrities don’t always talk about their college educations, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have them. • These posters can be general, quoting statistics for salaries, and the pitfalls of dropping out of high school.

21. Source: http://www.youthchg.com/poster3.html#graduate

22. Do You Know This College Graduate? Name: Chuck D School: Adelphi University in Long Island, NY Degree: Graphic Design Chuck D of Public Enemy hosted a show on the student radio station at Adelphi University, where he played his own mix tapes, which is how he met Flavor Flav. The duo formed Public Enemy which was eventually signed by Def Jam. Source: http://www.vibe.com/photo-galleries/higher-education-8-smart-rappers-who-went-college?page=6#node-title Photo: http://soniceditions.com/image/chuck-d