|
Communications Office
420 E. Manhattan Blvd.
Toledo, OH 43608
Phone: 419-671-8263
Fax: 419-671-8272
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patty Mazur, Director of Communications
Toledo Public Schools is working to close the achievement gap of ninth grade at-risk male students. The district has introduced programming at three TPS high schools that were identified as having a student population that would benefit from initiatives aimed at reducing the dropout rate. The programming is funded through a $1.1 million grant TPS received from the State of Ohio.
As part of the grant parameters, three Linkage Coordinators have been hired. These contract employees will work closely with school administrators and counselors at three pre-determined TPS high schools to ensure program activities are initiated and that eligible students remain motivated and are progressing academically. The Linkage Coordinators are: Mr. Chet Trail, has been assigned to Libbey High School, Mr. Jon Moorehead, will be working at Scott High School, and the Reverend Cordell Jenkins, is assigned to Woodward High School.
Six community organizations have also been engaged to organize and sustain after-school activities, services or presentations to students who are participating in the program. Twenty-three applications were originally submitted to the district by area organizations that were interested in working with students in after-school activities. A committee of TPS and community representatives interviewed all interested program providers and determined the following six groups as being the most appropriate to provide engaging and worthwhile activities for students: YMCA of Greater Toledo, The House of Emmanuel, UMADOP, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. and Adalante.
The established goals of the Closing the Achievement Gap programming include: preventing students from dropping out/or failing in school, promoting and rewarding responsible student behavior and increasing graduation rates with a focus on the needs of African American, Hispanic and poor white students. Other significant components to the grant include recruiting adult male mentors from the business community to become part of the student support team. A strong link to the business community is viewed as providing students with an opportunity to visualize a successful future. Graduation Action Teams will also be developed at the three high schools with the intent of ensuring that student coursework is aligned with to the Ohio graduation requirements and college expectations.
Please Note: Members of the media are asked to contact the TPS Communications Office to schedule interviews with the Linkage Coordinators or program providers.
###
|
