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Grad Dog Initiative Garners Crystal Star Award
Hart County High School Principal, Kevin Gaines, attended the 2016 National Dropout Prevention Network Conference in Detroit, Michigan on October 3, 2016 to accept the Crystal Star Award on behalf of Hart County and the Grad Dog Initiative.
The National Dropout Prevention Network’s (NDPN) Crystal Star Award of Excellence identifies and brings national recognition to outstanding individuals and programs that have made significant contributions to the advancement of dropout prevention, intervention, recovery, and reentry and that represent best practices in the field.
In 2005, Hart County Schools had a graduation rate of only 56%. The National Dropout Prevention Center was contacted to conduct a Program Assessment and Review (PAR) to determine strategies to improve the system graduation rate. Following the review and recommendations, the system organized a community task force to address the issue. Teams of educators and stakeholders were mobilized to develop and implement strategies to change the culture and graduation expectations of the schools and the community.
Acting on a suggestion from the community, the Grad Dog Initiative was created. A mascot of a bulldog dressed in a cap and gown holding a high school diploma, Grad Dog, was created along with a motto, “Finish What You Start.” Led by the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses donated funds for each kindergartener in the school system to receive a t-shirt with Grad Dog, the Finish What You Start slogan, and their projected year of graduation. The Grad Dog’s image and motto were posted throughout the community and in all schools.
The Grad Dog Initiative raised Hart County’s graduation rate from 56% in 2005 to 94% in 2015, a staggering 15 percentage points higher than the state of Georgia’s rate of 78.8%, ranking Hart County #44 out of 438 schools! The initiative demonstrates how a school system and community can cooperatively, creatively, and persistently improve graduation rates over time.
About the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N)
Established in 1986 with a mission to reduce dropout rates, the NDPC/N shares solutions for student success and dropout prevention through its clearinghouse function, active research and evaluation projects, publications and a variety of professional development activities and conferences. The organization’s website—www.dropoutprevention.org—is the nation’s leading resource in providing effective, research-based solutions to engaging students and reducing dropout. The NDPC/N is housed in the College of Education at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina.