How do you motivate high school students to value their education? How about offering them a free laptop?
Sunnyside Unified School District is doing just that.
By implementing “Project Graduate: The Digital Advantage,” SUSD hopes to increase the district graduation rate by awarding a laptop to students who qualify at any three of its high schools.
By achieving a solid grade point average and good attendance while having a positive attitude and out- of-class involvement, a student is in good shape for getting a laptop.
Project Graduate originally was intended for incoming freshman, but was expanded to reward the upper-level students as well.
To qualify for a laptop, an incoming ninth-grader must attend the first day of school, have an academic grade point average of 2.5 or higher, 95 percent or better attendance rate, be regularly involved in extracurricular activities sponsored by the school, and have no out-of-school suspensions.
Digital Scholars is the laptop criteria for 10th, 11th and 12th graders who are held to a higher standard. Students must receive a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, with a 95 percent attendance rate and no unexcused absences.
According to a study by Johns Hopkins University in 2007, SUSD was labeled a “Dropout Factory,” with a graduation rate of only 63 percent.
It is statistics like this that prompted the school to create and implement a variety of programs in an effort to keep kids in school.
“It has been a great success,” says Joe Peters SUSD special assistant to the superintendent.
Project Graduation is the umbrella name for the programs that address the districts dropout rate. The laptop giveaway is one of the programs, created to monitor the progress of students toward graduation.
“Preliminary numbers during the first quarter has shown, compared to last year, significant improvement in attendance,” says Joe Peters. “The numbers of students maintaining their GPA has also been impressive.”
Laptops are provided through funding by business and community partners, such as Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo.
“There is no limit to the number of laptops we give away,” says Joe Peters. “However many students make the mark.”
Each student has an advisory period where they receive an individual progress report from an advisor.
Students are encouraged to apply for internships, jobs and mentoring programs through partners of this project in addition to striving to achieve good grades.
Almost 1,200 students are currently on track to receive a laptop this January.
