Students get second chance at high school success

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Alaysha Williams dropped out of high school, tired of getting poor grades and annoyed with teachers who refused to help.

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Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com Each school day starts with Morning Motivation at Cobb Performance Learning Center in Marietta, which is run by Communities in Schools. For about 15 minutes, students listen and watch a multimedia piece about inspiration and empowerment.

Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com Rodney Thompson, 18, Brienne Gordon, 19, and Alaysha Williams, 18, each share their experiences about attending Cobb Performance Learning Center in Marietta.

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Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com Brienne Gordon, 19, wins the SAMS Contest earlier this year with this drawing that reflected her personal challenges and how staying at Cobb Performance Learning Center has given her new hope. She graduates in spring and plans to study graphic design at SCAD.

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David Pruett felt lost in large classrooms. Worse, he was bored by lessons that moved too slow.

Brienne Gordon gave up on high school. Her grade point average was just .33 out of a 4.0.

The three found a second chance at a special public school designed for students who struggle in traditional high schools. At the Performance Learning Center, students work on computers, at their own pace, learning the same material as other public school students. If they need help, teachers provide one-on-one assistance.

"When you come here, no one is judging you or looking at you like you're stupid," Gordon, 19, said. "They make you feel like you can do it. They talk with you and don't yell at you like other teachers. And when you see that you're learning, you want to keep learning. You feel smart, and I've never felt that way before."

Gordon and the others attend the Marietta location of the Performance Learning Center (PLC) -- a partnership between Cobb County Public Schools and the Atlanta-based Communities in Schools, which is one of the nation's largest dropout prevention programs. The same program can be found in Atlanta, DeKalb and other school systems across Georgia. Students interview with staff to determine if they are right for the program.

It is one of many strategies -- including mentoring, tutoring and parent education programs -- Communities in Schools uses to increase student success in school.

The nonprofit's work gained high marks from President Barack Obama when he spoke about reversing high dropout rates. During the March speech, Obama said, "We'll build on the efforts of places like Communities in Schools that make sure kids who are at risk of dropping out have one-on-one support."

In Georgia, about 3.8 percent of the state's 519,190 high school students dropped out last school year, according to data from the state Education Department's Web site. Many education researchers say states undercount dropouts.

The PLCs operate on the principle that technology, high standards and a small student body can produce success. The centers are capped at 75 students, as opposed to the thousands who attend traditional high schools.

Students must meet the same academic requirements and pass the same tests as other Georgia high schoolers to earn a diploma. The difference is how they learn.

Rather than sitting in a class directed by a teacher and working on the same material as everyone else in the room, PLC students use computers and work at their own pace. If students need an extra day or week on a lesson, they take it. If a student is picking up a lesson quickly, he or she can move on to the next, provided the student scores high enough on a test.

"You don't feel like you're stuffed in a classroom like you do at other schools," Williams, 18, said. "And this isn't an easy way out. I'm still doing all the work, and I'm working hard."

The program also pays attention to students' needs. Students often come so discouraged they need someone to pick them up and inspire them, teacher Robert White said.

At the PLC, teachers repeatedly tell students "success is the only option." They take about 15 minutes each day for "morning motivation," where students share inspirational readings, thoughts or videos.

Students said they like being free from the drama that fills other high schools, where students gossip and tease one another. While the PLC has a few activities -- including a chess club -- students said they don't miss football teams, bands or the dozens of other extracurricular activities found at other schools.

"We all want to be here, so there's no need to have any of that other stuff distracting us," Pruett, 17, said.

Students said teachers give them space without abandoning them. Teachers discuss students' career goals and how to achieve them.

"They help you figure out what's best for you, and then get you excited about it," Gordon said. "All they're doing is talking with us, but it's like they listen and then make you think you can really succeed."

Gordon plans to graduate in May and is thinking of studying graphic design at Savannah College of Art and Design or maybe majoring in English at another college.

As the teenager spoke, her mother's eyes filled with tears.

"She is so positive and so hopeful, and I didn't think I would ever see that in her," Jacqueline Gordon said. "When I first saw her doing homework and then heard her talking about college ... it's hard to explain, but when you see your child change for the better and see them wanting the dreams you have for them, it becomes everything you ever hoped for."