Youth Challenge helps students graduate

Precious Kennedy had to repeat the ninth grade at Westside High School, but this past school year she was able to catch up and graduate on time with the help of a program called the Youth Challenge Academy.

"Youth Challenge really did help me," she said of the quasi-military program that lasts 22 weeks and houses teens in barracks while guiding them toward their diplomas.

School officials say Ms. Kennedy, 18, who is planning to attend Strayer University for a degree in criminal justice, is an example of how at-risk youth can be set back on track with the right nurturing. And now Richmond County board members and administrators are hoping to better address the problem of students not on grade level by developing a countywide policy that would identify how many such students are in the system and how they can best be helped.

"My concern is, have we identified all those children, and what are we doing to help them with the resources we have?" said school board member Venus Cain.

Ms. Cain said programs such as Youth Challenge, credit recovery and night school are available for students, but some parents have said they weren't aware of them. She wants a policy that establishes a uniform protocol for how every school should address the issue.

"I'm looking at a policy to make sure we're not just overlooking those children," she said.

At greatest risk of not graduating are students who repeat ninth grade, Ms. Cain said.

"We know it's a problem, and my concern is I'm learning that we lose most of our children in the ninth grade," she said.

Dropout rates have been a big concern of school officials. Aside from the countywide policy being developed for students not on grade level, officials also are working on a five-year strategic plan that involves community leaders and addresses the fact that about a third of the school system's students don't graduate -- a figure that mirrors the national trend. Last week, the school system held a dropout summit to discuss the issue.

Ms. Kennedy says she thinks a countywide policy aimed at students who have repeated a grade is a good idea.

"It will attract more people," she said.

She said sometimes students need positive encouragement -- something she offers to other students and plans to do for this year's Youth Challenge group when she speaks to them about how she turned herself around.

School officials say the idea of a countywide policy could be discussed in a public meeting as early as next month.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3851 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com