School System Offers New Program to Help Those Who Have Dropped Out Return and Graduate

Felipe Lainez who has returned to Parkland High School

In the Thursday, Feb. 21 issue of the Winston-Salem Journal, reporter Arika Herron writes about the Forsyth Academy of Continuing Education (FACE), a new program designed to help students who have dropped out of school return and graduate.

So far, 17 students have come back to school since the program started last month. All were slated to graduate in either 2012 or 2013 but dropped out before earning their diplomas. Through FACE, the students are allowed to re-enroll in their home school and work with counselors to formulate an individualized academic plan designed to help them recover credits and graduate on time.

That plan looks a little different for each student, Kay Landry, the program specialist for dropout prevention, intervention and recovery, told Herron. Some students are able to make up their credits simply by returning to school full time or by taking just evening classes at the Career Center. Landry said most students, though, need to do both.

“It’s like having both a full-time job and a part-time job,” Landry said. “But they’re very motivated (to do both) because they know that’s what they need to do to catch up and get things moving in the right direction.”

Right now, FACE students are in evening classes at the Career Center with credit-recovery students who may have failed a course but have not dropped out. Starting next week, though, FACE will have its own separate classes and teachers. Landry said that will be important, because students who chose to drop out often have their own unique circumstances and obstacles.

The program is being paid for by the district’s $9 million Race to the Top grant, awarded by the federal government to encourage innovation and experimentation in education. The grant will fund FACE over two years at a cost of $300,000. Landry said the future of the program will depend on how this semester and next work out.

Journal photographer David Rolfe took the photo. For the full story, go to Winston-Salem Journal