Program Area: At-Risk Youth
Helping At-Risk Youth Stay in School
Executive Summary
Since 2002, The Nicholson Foundation has joined with government agencies, service providers and community organizations in Newark to develop strategies and programs to address the critical issues facing the City’s children and families. A major concern identified by Newark’s stakeholders has been the adverse impact on family and community stability caused by the significant number of high school dropouts. In Newark, as in other large cities across the nation, almost half of the students who start high school fail to finish. Compared to students who do graduate, dropouts are more likely to be unemployed or have low earnings, receive public assistance, suffer health problems, spend time in prison, and/or have children who will also drop out of school. Their communities suffer economic losses due to lower productivity and lower tax revenues; have higher costs associated with health care, incarceration, welfare and other social services; and experience greater neighborhood instability as a result of increased crime.
Recognizing that Newark has important strengths on which to build, community stakeholders in collaboration with the Foundation initiated a number of projects to help at-risk youth complete high school and prepare for post-secondary education or obtain employment. Working with government and community partners to develop these initiatives, the Foundation has relied on research findings to identify best practices for engaging at-risk youth. The best practices include setting high expectations and fostering a positive environment, offering alternative educational programming with a variety of learning options, creating small learning communities, matching services and programs to each student’s unique needs, and partnering with community agencies to maximize access to necessary resources. Consistent with Nicholson’s belief in the importance of using research findings to shape program design, the Foundation is funding evaluations of several of the alternative education programs it is supporting.
One of Nicholson’s supported programs is the Youth Education and Employment Success (YE2S) Center—a one-stop resource for Newark’s high school dropouts, those at risk of dropping out, and those returning from the juvenile justice system. The Center is a collaboration among various government agencies, educational institutions, community-based organizations, and The Nicholson Foundation. The YE2S Center’s programs and services exemplify and incorporate evidence-based principles by providing an individualized assessment, matching each youth to an appropriate alternative education program or employment, and providing specialized services to help the youth overcome barriers to his or her educational and vocational goals.
In addition to the YE2S Center, several innovative alternative school programs have been implemented. The Newark Workforce Development Institute (NWDI) was established to reengage dropouts who could benefit from a strong employment focus. The Virtual High School allows students who are unable to attend a traditional school program to complete their high school requirements via computer-based distance learning. Gateway to College, located at Essex County College, allows dropouts to earn a high school diploma along with college credits. The Foundation also funds outreach, mentoring, and job-preparation programs for disconnected youth, as well as initiatives that connect pregnant and parenting teens with pre- and postnatal services, while helping them stay in school.
Because of the progress made in implementing innovative programs for disconnected youth, Newark has received recognition for its accomplishments from the National League of Cities. It was selected for their prestigious Alternative High School Initiative, which introduces a community’s stakeholders to promising models and helps implement those they select. Since The Nicholson Foundation and its partners began focusing efforts to improve Newark’s high school graduation rate, the issue has gained broad political support at all levels of government. This increases the likelihood that additional resources will become available to help Newark’s at-risk youth develop the skills to lead stable and productive lives.
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Full Report
For a summary of The Nicholson Foundation’s grants in this program area, click the following link:
Grant Summaries