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CINCINNATI (WXIX) — A new education program in Ohio is determined to help K-12 students who continue to face challenges with school attendance and engagement.
ENGAGE Ohio is an attendance recovery program designed to support school efforts and go beyond routine solutions.
There are many reasons why a student might be struggling right now. Even those who were doing well in school before the pandemic may struggle now.
The ENGAGE Ohio program hopes to fill in the gaps.
“[The program is] unique because it uses emails, text messages, home visits, phone calls to find students who are not attending school regularly…for many different reasons,” says Brittany Miracle, vice principal of the Whole Children’s Aid Office for ODE.
According to ODE’s program overview, eligible students for the program are:
- In class K-12
- Chronically absent
- Disengaged from learning
- Academically at risk
ENGAGE Ohio has created different levels of the program to overcome different barriers for students and their families.
The first level consists of an initial contact and the search for solutions to an isolated problem such as transport.
State officials report that about 82 percent of families currently in the program say transportation is a barrier to student attendance.
According to the ENGAGE website, the program made 1.6 million outreach attempts in 2020.
Miracle says, “An Engage Ohio outreach coordinator would contact the family and say, ‘you know, we heard you were having trouble getting to school, how can we help you’ and in some cases , they’ll say ‘I don’t do tricks. “
The second level is a more in-depth profile of the student to meet their specific needs, including risk assessment or updating records. Academic Success Coaches can be paired with the student at this time to provide ongoing one-on-one attention.
Coaches mitigate student barriers, provide distance learning skills, monitor student progress, and serve as mentors. On average, the second level establishes monthly checks.
The third level is more intense with weekly contact with the trainer and a personalized plan. It could also connect families to community resources to address more serious barriers.
ODE continues to correspond with major school districts in the greater Cincinnati area that have not opted into the program, but parents can enroll their students by calling (614) 344-5028 or visiting Engage Ohio Website.
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