How a Charter Network Achieved an 89% Graduation Rate, Outperforming the National Average by 21%
The Learn4Life public charter school network is reporting an 89% graduation rate this year for homeless students across its 80+ schools. Compared to the national average of a 68% graduation rate for homeless students, that’s a significant improvement. It’s even an improvement on the overall public high school graduation rate for all students, which is just over 87 percent.
Superintendent Shellie Hanes credits the school’s tailored programs, individualized support, and trauma-informed teachers for the results.
How Learn4Life Works
Learn4Life is a network of more than 80 individual charter schools that has been steadily growing since the first Learn4Life school opened in 2001. They offer three different educational models: on-site high school, homeschooling support, and online school for grades 6 through 12. Charter schools are a type of public school and are therefore free to attend. Enrollment is open to all students from kindergarten through 12th grade, though not all programs can accommodate all students. Learn4Life works with enrollees to determine the best school placement for their needs.
Students who attend high school on-site at a Learn4Life location are provided with a supportive and inclusive learning environment where they can have scheduled one-on-one sessions with teachers or tutors, as well as access to technology, career resources, life skills programs, and small-group workshops on a flexible schedule that fits around other responsibilities.
For those who are not near an on-site location or who just need additional flexibility, the Learn4Life virtual school offers an online curriculum that can be accessed from anywhere, also for free. Teachers and tutors are also available to support online students one-on-one, and there are even some virtual clubs and social activities available.
A homeschooling support program is also available to offer additional resources and support to parents who are educating their children at home.
Tailored Programs
According to Superintendent Shellie Hanes, “Charter schools like Learn4Life tend to have more autonomy to create tailored programs, which can benefit homeless students who need individualized support.” She goes on to explain that Learn4Life schools, “are smaller, which helps foster strong relationships between staff and students, making it easier to identify and respond to housing challenges.”
Learn4Life schools pride themselves on allowing students to be in control of their own education. This self-guided approach allows students to follow their interests and pursue their goals with classes that can accommodate a flexible schedule.
It’s easy to see how a flexible schedule could lead to better outcomes for homeless students. In a traditional schooling environment, difficulties with tardiness or being able to get to school at all can jeopardize an unhoused student’s learning.
Education at Learn4Life can also be tailored to include career-readiness programs that equip each student with the skills needed to succeed in their chosen career path. Of course, many homeless students are already working jobs that they need to keep in order to support themselves or their families. With all of these pressures and more, homeless students overall are 87% more likely to drop out of high school than their stably housed peers. Learn4Life’s approach is helping to close that gap.
Individualized Support
In traditional public schools, classrooms are crammed full, and teachers are overloaded. There simply isn’t enough time in the day for one teacher to tailor their lessons to the 30 to 40 students in each class, grade yesterday’s homework, plan next week’s lessons, and also find enough time to eat lunch and go to the bathroom once or twice. Not to mention the widespread lack of funding for services.
The blame lies firmly with the overarching system rather than individual teachers, but nevertheless, a lot of kids are falling through the cracks of the traditional schooling system- and more and more cracks are forming each day. Due to their unique circumstances, homeless students are often the first to be left behind. That’s why a program like Learn4Life can see such a massive difference in graduation rates for its homeless students.
Teachers at Learn4Life schools get to know their students one-on-one and offer each one personalized mentorship as they move toward graduation. Each student’s high school experience can be customized to meet their individual goals, and every student benefits from the dedicated attention of their teacher.
With individualized support and accommodations tailored to each student’s learning style, pace, and post-graduation goals, everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Trauma-Informed Teachers
“Our entire staff receives homelessness awareness training and ongoing professional development designed to support the needs of these students,” explains Superintendent Hanes. “We know how to identify housing-insecure kids and help them with all the challenges that come with that.”
Learn4Life is an alternative education path chosen by many students who find that traditional schooling is not working for them. Whether they are homeless, falling behind in credits, being bullied at other schools, becoming parents, or simply want to accelerate their education and graduate ahead of schedule, Learn4Life’s flexibility and understanding are making a big difference for a variety of unique students.
Teachers and counselors both regularly check in with homeless students as well as housed students who are dealing with other traumas. School social workers are also available to connect students and their families with services and assist with any applications. There are also often community support services available through the schools that can provide students with free clothing and hygiene items, backpacks and other school supplies, assistance with transportation to and from school, or help with food assistance or mental health services, as needed.
These services address many of the behind-the-scenes issues for students that may otherwise go unnoticed in a larger school system, allowing them more bandwidth and brainpower to succeed at school. These kinds of programs can go a long way toward leveling the playing field for unhoused students, and we’re seeing that play out in the improved graduation rates for homeless students at Learn4Life schools.