Distractions and unexpected life circumstances can quickly derail a person’s path to success. This includes many high school students who are off track to graduating on time. Fortunately, the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is doing something about that.
Project ELEVATE 2025 is a new program designed to help high school seniors accelerate their path to graduation by helping get them back on track. This innovative blended learning initiative is tailored for DCSD students in the four-year cohort who began 9th grade in the 2021 school year. According to DCSD and the Georgia Department of Education, cohort 2025 scholars are defined as students who started 9th grade during the 2020-2021 school year.
“We are very optimistic about this approach to enhancing our students’ graduation success,” said DCSD Superintendent Dr. Devon Q. Horton. “We believe that implementing proven instructional strategies in alignment with current coursework is a highly effective way to ensure every student reaches their full potential.”
Students in the Project ELEVATE 2025 program enjoy a full day of learning at Elizabeth Andrews High School, including in-person and blended online instruction. DCSD offers free transportation from regional hubs, ensuring easy access to the program. Stephenson High School senior Shawn Wise finds that the program is fantastic so far.
“In my experience, the teachers [in the program] are different from those at my home school. With the classes being a bit smaller and the teachers being a bit stricter, we don’t have the chance to fall back or fall down,” Shawn said. “If we do fall back or fall down, they’ll help pick us up and put us back on track. They won’t allow us to slip.”
Clarkston High School senior Rose Desrosiers and Martin Luther King, Jr. High School senior Trevion Gray appreciated their teachers’ support in achieving their graduation goals.
“The teachers here gravitate to the students here. It’s more students in the classroom at my home school,” said Trevion. “The teachers try to help to make sure we stay on track.”
“The teachers are more focused on us here,” said Rose.
All three students said that Project ELEVATE teachers help students stay focused on their assignments by minimizing disruptions from their devices.
“They won’t allow any distractions here,” said Shawn. “They keep us on track and set on our goals.”
As an added incentive, students from cohort-2025 who meet the Project ELEVATE participation agreement may take part in end-of-year senior activities, including graduation at their home school.
These levels of support reflect the District’s commitment to ensuring that all DCSD students have the necessary resources and support to excel academically, preparing them for college, careers, entrepreneurship, or military service after graduation.
