Freshman, graduation and technology initiatives

In the 2008-2009 school year the Digital Advantage, Project Graduation's legacy program, was created to motivate and support students using laptop computers as an incentive to decrease dropouts and increase the district’s graduation rate. Laptops have been awarded for achievement of the Four A’s: Attendance, Achievement, extracurricular Activity and Attitude (no out-of-school suspensions).

Project Graduation: The Digital Advantage is a multi-phased, research-based effort that includes a site based graduation plan, a comprehensive attendance component, credit recovery, advisory, a focus on seniors and freshman, awards laptops to students who maintain the 4-A’s and assists 8th grade students with the transition to high school. The initiative has captured the imagination of the business and community leaders, who have joined forces for the common cause of student success, family empowerment and community progress.

Fund-raising efforts to support The Digital Advantage have resulted in the generous commitment of over $1.1 million from community and corporate sponsors.

Project Graduation Goals

• Increase the average grade point average earned by freshmen students (Academics)
• Decrease the number of absences (Attendance/ADA)
• Decrease the number of out-of-school suspensions by freshmen students (Attitude)
• Increase the promotion rate of freshmen
• Increase the number of freshmen students participating in high school-sponsored extracurricular activities (Activity)
• Increase the high school graduation rate and the number of graduates
• Decrease the high school dropout rate
• Increase Parental Engagement
• Improve Organizational Efficiency in the area of Attendance Operations
• Increase the number of students prepared to enter a four year college (College Readiness)

Each of the goals will be measured quarterly through benchmarks established by the district and school sites (Program Evaluation)

Project Graduation Documentation
Project Graduation: Executive Summary 2010
Improving Graduation Rates with an Innovative Rewards Program
Project Graduation: A Case Study 2010 (PDF)
Project Graduation Initiatives Synopsis (PDF)
Digital Advantage 2009-2010 1st Semester Report
Digital Advantage 2009-2010 2nd Semester Report
The Digital Advantage Metrics Feb. 2010 (PPT)
Project Graduation Graphic Organizer Feb. 2010 (PPT)
Strategic Partners 2010 (PDF)