Learn4Life Offers Six Tips on Keeping Students Engaged

The back-to-school clothes still look new and teens’ backpacks aren’t yet showing any wear. But after just a few weeks of school, many high school students begin to lose interest and start to miss a few days of school. For some, the initial excitement of coming back to school and seeing their friends has passed, and high school is more demanding than middle school. “We’re on high alert for signs that any students are starting to disengage and missing school days,” said Shellie Hanes, superintendent at Learn4Life, a network of 80+ public charter high schools.

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October is Dropout Prevention Month

October is Dropout Prevention Month, raising awareness about the challenges students face that lead to dropping out of school and highlighting the proven solutions that can make a difference. The good news is that high school attendance nationwide is improving, but it is still not as high as pre-pandemic.

Learn4Life’s model is based on personalized learning, which focuses on each student’s strengths, interests and goals – something Hanes says keeps teens from getting frustrated or bored in school. “The goal for all schools is to foster a supportive, welcoming and inclusive environment where students feel valued and connected,” she said. “Because each of our learning centers is smaller than traditional high schools, our staff can build strong relationships and know most students by name, which helps them feel seen, supported and motivated to attend.”

Hanes offers six tips on keeping students engaged and motivated:

• Adopt competency-based progression which allows students to quickly move ahead with subjects they have mastered and spend a bit more time on subjects with which they struggle.
• Let them be successful. Their confidence will grow as they master coursework.
• Include fun electives that hold students’ interest. In some Learn4Life schools, students can take classes like car model creation or 3-D printing -- but only if they’re turning in the required number of credits.
• Career Technical Education (CTE) classes have a huge positive impact on attendance. Even if students are not planning a technical career, they enjoy classes like culinary, healthcare, IT, construction and media arts. They can earn certifications to help them get a higher-paying job upon graduation.
• Instead of an emphasis on test-taking, concentrate on continuous learning and opportunities to demonstrate knowledge.
• Don’t just punish students for cutting classes. Determine the root causes of why kids are not coming to school. Absenteeism is often linked to complex challenges such as mental health struggles, anxiety, bullying, family stressors or lack of support.

Each Learn4Life high school has a Student Retention Support (SRS) team that works with students to make sure they come to school, turn in their homework and complete tests. SRS members even conduct home visits, allowing caring adults to connect directly with the student, uncover the underlying causes of absenteeism, and provide personalized support to remove potential barriers.

“It is essential that schools address chronic absenteeism and remove barriers to school attendance,” said Hanes. “We need to send a strong message to teens and their families that showing up for school every day is crucial for students' present and future success.”

For more information about Learn4Life’s personalized learning approach, visit https://learn4life.org/about/personalized-learning-approach/.

About Learn4Life

Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 64,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.

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