Preparing Students for Success With Grad Solutions
Grad Solutions has been helping students in Arizona finish high school and earn their diplomas for more than 10 years now. They are using some innovative methods to re-engage students who formerly dropped out and provide extensive support and resources to help those students get back on track and prepare them for the future. Learn more about this exciting program as we chat with Rachelle Morris, the Executive Director of Education for Grad Solutions. Learn more at https://iwantmydiploma.com
Transcript
00:00 - You know, during the pandemic, we had a lot of kids
00:02 who did not receive their diplomas or dropped out of school
00:06 and that's where Grad Solution comes in
00:08 to help them get back on track
00:09 and have those tools to succeed.
00:11 Rochelle Morris is here with us with Grad Solutions.
00:14 And as I said, during the pandemic,
00:15 that's when we really saw a lot of kids not graduate.
00:18 Anxiety came about, different things.
00:19 They didn't wanna return back to the classroom
00:22 and they missed out on that graduation.
00:24 And of course, getting those diplomas
00:26 and how important they are.
00:27 And that's where you guys come in to help, right?
00:29 - Yes, that's exactly what we do.
00:30 And even pre-pandemic, we had in our state,
00:34 in particular of the Western states,
00:36 we have more disconnected youth than across the country.
00:40 And that is really in regards to students
00:44 who are 16 to 24 that are neither in school or working.
00:48 And of course, the pandemic increased that.
00:50 And so we have some of the highest dropout rates
00:53 in the nation.
00:54 And so Graduation Solutions partners
00:57 with public schools to provide re-engagement
01:01 for our dropouts.
01:03 But we don't just serve high school age students.
01:05 We go all the way up to seniors.
01:08 And in particular, our most recent graduate,
01:11 we had one that was 91 years old.
01:13 So anyone who hasn't received a diploma,
01:16 they can come to Grad Solutions
01:18 and check that off their bucket list.
01:20 - Rochelle, let's talk about how important
01:22 that diploma is for self-esteem, for jobs,
01:26 and just overall to help them have tools
01:30 to go on to do other things.
01:32 - Yeah, you bet.
01:33 So self-esteem for sure.
01:34 To feel like you are a contributing member of society
01:37 to have that diploma, that's a milestone
01:40 that's so important in adulthood.
01:42 But more importantly, there's a lot of jobs out there
01:45 that employers will not hire you with only a GED.
01:48 They are requiring high school diploma.
01:50 Even in trade forces to get into the Plumbers Union,
01:53 they do require a high school diploma.
01:55 And so without that, it can be a ceiling
01:59 for many pursuing opportunities and careers,
02:01 but also self-esteem.
02:04 And more importantly, Grad Solutions
02:07 doesn't just focus on the diploma.
02:09 So we at enrollment help students
02:13 determine their post-secondary pathway.
02:15 And so we are helping them to not just get to the diploma,
02:18 but to launch into that college or career pathway afterwards.
02:22 - And that is so important because again,
02:24 the kids are kind of like, "I know what I wanna do,
02:25 but how do I get there?
02:27 I don't have the counselor.
02:29 I don't have the person to talk to."
02:30 And that's where you sit down with them.
02:32 Now, do they come into a classroom
02:33 or do they work online at their pace?
02:35 - Both.
02:36 So we actually specialize in blended learning.
02:38 So we use an online curriculum,
02:39 but we have teachers that are both virtual and at our sites.
02:43 And so we have learning centers all around the Valley
02:46 called HUBS, and that stands for Helping Undo Barriers.
02:50 Because in particular, disenfranchised students,
02:53 they're needing a little something extra
02:55 than that traditional high school.
02:56 So we specialize in providing wraparound services.
02:59 So that could mean food resources, housing resources.
03:03 We even have a daycare on site at our HUBS.
03:06 So our full-time parents who are working on their diploma
03:10 can bring their students in to the daycare center.
03:13 We have laundry facilities.
03:14 We have a big population of homeless students
03:16 that take advantage of graduation solutions.
03:19 Matter of fact, homeless students
03:22 have the highest dropout rate of any students.
03:24 And so catering to those environmental barriers
03:27 they're experiencing is critical for keeping them engaged
03:31 to pursue and attain that diploma.
03:33 - Yeah, I like that because again,
03:35 this is also helping those get used to being
03:38 in front of people, doing things with people
03:40 better than just online.
03:41 I love this hub and helping them out.
03:43 As you said, the homeless population is growing.
03:45 The kids are dropping out
03:47 'cause they have to be moved around and stuff.
03:48 So if there's hubs around that they can go to
03:50 and work online, which is so amazing for them to do.
03:53 So I love this.
03:54 Okay, so how can someone get involved?
03:56 Are you looking for teachers?
03:57 Are you looking for people to help?
03:58 Or what's--
03:59 - Always, we are such a fast-growing company
04:01 because the more our public schools out there hear about us,
04:05 because public schools can't be everything to every student.
04:08 And so we come in and we provide that specialized niche
04:10 for these public schools.
04:12 And so the more the word gets out,
04:14 the more schools and partners wanna take advantage
04:17 of our services that we provide.
04:19 So we are constantly looking for teachers, for mentors.
04:22 Every student who enrolls in our company, in our schools,
04:26 has been assigned a life coach, a mentor.
04:29 So we're looking for people that wanna be a champion
04:32 for what we call the underdogs.
04:34 Any kind of resources from counseling to food services,
04:39 just anyone that can help remove those barriers.
04:42 - I like it.
04:44 Rochelle, thanks for coming and talking about it.
04:45 It's Grad Solutions.
04:46 We've got information on the screen.
04:47 Also, you can go to aztv.com to find out more.
04:50 So thank you.
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