Don’t let technical jargon and opaque terms shadow the truth. There is an idea floating around that Project GRAD does not improve graduation rates. There is ABSOLUTELY no way to determine that. First of all, a legitimate study done with a control group is not possible as there are no schools in the Knox County School district with a control group of students to compare to Austin-East and Fulton. Some have gone as far to believe that a student of color or an economically disadvantaged student in Farragut, Hardin Valley or any other school are the same and get served the same. SERIOUSLY??? #FakeNews
First of all, if you are going to make decisions in the best interest of all students, then research should be done to know how to serve ALL students. Has anybody bothered to understand the challenges and impact of concentrated poverty. All students cannot be served the same because they are not the same. It is not about equality, it is about equity. Equality is about giving everybody the same thing while equity is about giving everyone what they need. Concentrated poverty has an impact on student outcomes, so does high teacher turnover, number of cumulative teacher years in a building, constant and consistent administrative changes, curriculum without variety and exploration, number of AP and dual enrollment classes, school esteem and on and on and on.
First of all, if you are going to make decisions in the best interest of all students, then research should be done to know how to serve ALL students. Has anybody bothered to understand the challenges and impact of concentrated poverty. All students cannot be served the same because they are not the same. It is not about equality, it is about equity. Equality is about giving everybody the same thing while equity is about giving everyone what they need. Concentrated poverty has an impact on student outcomes, so does high teacher turnover, number of cumulative teacher years in a building, constant and consistent administrative changes, curriculum without variety and exploration, number of AP and dual enrollment classes, school esteem and on and on and on.
To really explain it, think about the sun. The sun shines with all its power every day. However, some days are cooler than others due to environmental factors. Clouds (high teacher turnover), winds (lack of resources), precipitation (curriculum) and other weather terminology that impacts climate and temperature. Yet regardless, the sun still shines.
There is no way to say Project GRAD did not improve graduation rates because if it is 78%, whose to know if it wouldn’t have been 70%?
Also, there is not a valid control group that can be used to research and defend a claim that Project GRAD does not impact the schools it serves.
I would say, "you do the math", but there are no legit calculations to be made.
We are too smart to be blinded by a little dust thrown in our eyes.
There is no way to say Project GRAD did not improve graduation rates because if it is 78%, whose to know if it wouldn’t have been 70%?
Also, there is not a valid control group that can be used to research and defend a claim that Project GRAD does not impact the schools it serves.
I would say, "you do the math", but there are no legit calculations to be made.
We are too smart to be blinded by a little dust thrown in our eyes.
However, there are some things we can say about Project GRAD...
With motive comes movement. When you know your why, you aspire for achievement. Project GRAD gives students motive and helps them find their why. This is in addition to interventions, social, emotional and behavior supports, incentives and intellectual experiences.
All that being said, base your conclusions on valid reasoning. Don’t let people throw dust in your eyes. Project GRAD is to legit to quit!
All that being said, base your conclusions on valid reasoning. Don’t let people throw dust in your eyes. Project GRAD is to legit to quit!
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