Dallas high schoolers who went to work during COVID-19 finding ways to catch up

It was hard for Adam Carrera to stay motivated in class as his high school years were turned upside down by the pandemic and he was stuck behind a computer at home.

But the senior has not lost sight of his diploma so that he can start studying architecture.

During the week, he therefore takes credit recovery courses in the mornings, does his work in the afternoons, and goes to work in the evenings.

Carrera is among more than 6,700 students who have enrolled in courses designed to help them catch up when life disrupts their traditional school. Such programs are especially important to the Dallas ISD this year as officials work to get high school students back on track after so many pandemic disruptions.

DISD has formed teams at high schools to find unenrolled students and guide the teens towards the program that can help them complete the courses required to earn a diploma.

District leaders say they know they are facing challenges: Many teenagers took jobs when classes were rescheduled online to help families cope with the financial pressures of the pandemic. Others struggle with ongoing mental health problems, support their young siblings’ learning, or face apartment instability caused by COVID-19.

“We heard from a lot of students who said, ‘You know, I’m so far behind. I just don’t feel like coming back. It’s just too late, ‘”said Tiffany Huitt, headmistress of Dallas. “We introduced several options to get these students involved again.”

Trustee Karla Garcia recently urged administrators: What should I say to students in my community who say they have to work but also want to go to school and continue their education?

The majority of students are referred to the district’s Evening Academy or Reconnection program, which helps them make up for missed credits through online courses. Special programs are also available for high school students who have to leave certain middle school courses.

District officials this year prioritized expanding flexibility for students who are clearly behind, and reorganized the day to give teenagers time to catch up outside of traditional school hours.

“We said, ‘Okay, students, you want to work, but you also need to speed up this coursework,’” said Huitt. “Our children can work and then go to school. Or they go to school and then go to work earlier. That was a huge success for us. “

At Wilmer-Hutchins High School, Erica Hamilton’s class size has grown – essentially doubling since August – as she worked with counselors to find and catch up with students.

“My strategy is to keep motivating,” she said. “As everything in their life changes, some of them are still being held back from basically catching up and getting back to normal school operations.”

Anabell Torres, 19, said she had to move from house to house with her daughter during the pandemic while balancing a job at the same time. In addition, it became difficult to concentrate on the class.

The administrators helped her find a day care program for her 2 year old girl while she worked on loan reclamation.

Now she’s caught up and can graduate next month.

Huitt noted that about 150 students are expected to receive their diplomas in December after going through the district’s credit restoration program.

In the meantime, the district is looking for further opportunities to get young people involved again.

Officials are hoping to hire high school students for tutoring jobs, which could solve two problems at once: DISD needs a huge army of tutors to combat learning loss in its youngest students, and some teenagers are weighing tuition against making a paycheck.

Administrators thought the plan was “going to be a really big success,” but Huitt said it was slow to get going. The district is working on how to use its federal pandemic aid funds to pay high school students $ 13 an hour.

And officials still have logistical problems like scheduling to solve.

“We continue to work to understand the role our high school students can play,” said Assistant Academic Director Derek Little, “and we actually see much greater potential for them in the summer than in the school year.”

The DMN Education Lab deepens reporting and discussion on pressing educational issues that are critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control over the Education Lab’s journalism.

[ad_1]
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2021/11/27/dallas-high-schoolers-who-went-to-work-during-covid-19-finding-ways-to-catch-up/