The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce’s Franklin Initiative, which implemented the graduation coach program at Edgewood High School, Bloomington North High School and Bloomington South High School was recently the subject of praise from local candidates for office. It was also spotlighted by Check & Connect, a publication from program designer University of Minnesota.
With money provided by the U.S. Department of Education, AT&T, Boston Scientific and others, the Franklin Initiative pays for graduation coaches to work full-time targeting students at risk of failure in the schools.
“(Graduation Coach Patty Goldman’s) weekly, often more frequent, contacts give the students an opportunity to discuss issues,” EHS Principal Dirk Ackerman said. “Together, Patty and the students brainstorm solutions.”
“My most important role is just to build a positive relationship with each of my students,” Goldman said.
Research shows that kids who have an adult take an interest in their lives do much better than those who do not. Teachers often do not have the time to reach out one-to-one with their students for extended periods.
“That’s where I come in,” Goldman said. “I meet regularly with the students on my caseload to go over grade books, work on organizational and problem-solving skills, and do some general counseling.”
This year, Goldman has 56 students on her caseload. Last year, she had 67.
Marissa Moore has been one of those students since she was a freshman at EHS. She started high school at Owen Valley High School in Spencer, Indiana.
“I wasn’t doing so hot,” she said. “At all. I think I had two out of 14 credits. I had some family troubles, a lot of family troubles.”
She was hesitant when she first met with Goldman but was soon won over by how nice she was.
“Every time I had a problem, I went to her, and she was very supportive and really got me on track,” Moore said.
Goldman’s interest and advice helped Moore raise her grades. It also helped her through rough times.
“This past March, my best friend died,” Moore said. “(Goldman) really helped me through that. My grades were kind of – I knew they were going to go down, like, it was just a big spiral downward. She really helped me with that.”
Goldman was also able to help Moore when she was bullied throughout her sophomore and junior years, as well, which Moore described as “probably the biggest problem” she faced as a student.
Today, Moore is set to graduate on time. She plans to go to school for public speaking, dental assisting, or medical assisting after high school.
“If it wasn’t for her, I would not be here today. I would probably be a bum,” she said, laughing.
“The grad coach is very effective at Edgewood High School,” Ackerman said. “I can definitely say that, without our graduation coach, we would not have a graduation rate above 90%.”
Goldman has been working at EHS for five years. Before that, the graduation coach was a part-time position. In 2011, working full-time allowed Goldman to spend more than 1,500 hours with students and 250 hours with their parents.
According to Check & Connect‘s spotlight of the Franklin Initiative’s program, “of the students who could be followed over time, 60% improved their (grade point average).”
Those students participating in the program are able to take the WorkKeys test and go to Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce job fairs.
The Democratic Party’s candidate for State Senate, District 40, Mark Stoops, and at-large candidate for Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation school board, Mathew Shockney, both came out in favor of expanding on the program’s successes at a recent candidates forum.
For his part, Stoops said he would like to make it a statewide initiative.
EHS’s graduation rate for the 2010-11 school year was 91.1%. The graduation rate for the same class statewide was 86%.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2012. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.