Student Development Planning Initiative

About this grant

The Student Development Planning Initiative was created to address the educational issues of youth at risk of dropping out of school. Central to the initiative is a series of six working groups — made up of school officials, teachers, principals and representatives from city and state agencies — that endeavor to identify problems and develop strategies and recommendations to increase graduation rates and the chances of educational success for vulnerable youth.Multiyear funding will support objectives that include working to ensure that the new Alternative Learning Unit will assess and place 5,000 students during the 2003-2004 school year; establishing an Alternative High School of Choice, with specific academic and social components, that works in partnership with local and community colleges to provide post-secondary educational opportunities for alternative high school graduates; developing and implementing a post-secondary tracking system; and creating and disseminating a comprehensive student development curriculum for all high schools that integrates youth development and leadership strategies with applied learning opportunities.During the first year of the initiative, 120 individuals participated in biweekly working group sessions that focused on transition to post-secondary education, alternative learning communities, youth in special circumstances, student development initiatives in high schools, health, and community and school linkages.