 For release: February 13, 2013
Contact: Kimberly
Spates, A-GRAD
(Accelerating Graduation by Reducing Achievement Disparities), 612-348-0017
News release
The “Cohort Study of County-Involved Youth” (Cohort
Study) recently presented to the Board answers the question, ‘How are our
county-served kids doing academically?’
Its goal is to help Hennepin County tailor its services to ensure youth
have the support necessary to be successful in school and in life.
The
Cohort Study, a research project commissioned by the county’s initiative to
increase high school graduation rates– Accelerating Graduation by Reducing
Achievement Disparities (A-GRAD)--used millions of data points to follow the
educational trajectory of 3,557 youth who are on supervised probation, in
foster care for six months or longer, or who were a teen parent in the
Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP).
In
2012 Hennepin County had an overall high school graduation rate of 68%, with
large disparities between white youth and youth of color. The study found that
for youth involved in these programs, only 31% ever graduate from high
school.
“We want to know how the young people in the county
systems are doing,” said Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. “We have a special responsibility to
them. Graduation from high school is an
important part of successful participation in Minnesota’s highly-skilled
workforce, and we know that we can do better to provide the support these
children need to succeed.”
County-involved students are often enrolled in
special education, come from low-income households, and many are experiencing
homelessness. They have low attendance rates beginning in middle school and
high mobility – with half attending nine or more different schools during their
school career. The average Minnesota student attends 3-5 schools during their
K-12 education.
The study also draws attention to best practices
already in place. For example, foster care youth graduate at a higher
rate—approximately 50%--than youth in the other cohorts. “The effort county
workers put into ensuring a child stays in the same school when their foster
care placement changes is a strategy worth keeping,” says A-GRAD Manager
Kimberly Spates.
“Poverty
is the common denominator,” said Commissioner Jan Callison. “County-involved
youth come disproportionately from disadvantaged families and communities. The
cohort study will be the foundation of a coherent, strategic response. We will
use it to shape strategies so that county workers can realistically make a
difference.”
The final phase of the Cohort Study, currently
underway, is designed to demonstrate how county-involvement may be associated
with educational outcomes. The entire
Cohort Study will serve as the center of conversations with county departments
helping to identify possible practice changes and implementation of programs
that support education success. In the
coming months the study will serve as a tool to engage state and local
educational stakeholders and the community in conversations that will identify
leverage points for more targeted collaboration that support educational success for youth
involved in county services.
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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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