We’ve put the finishing touches on the Target Graduation 2012 End-of-year Results, a report that summarizes the program’s successes over the past year and goals for major improvement in the lives of middle school students in the Greater Austin area.
Target Graduation focuses on two areas of work –middle school and out-of-school time – both of which are proven to have a major impact on the success of a student in college, work and life.
In the middle school work, Target Graduation’s goal is to change the trajectory of three high-needs middle schools in the Greater Austin area by creating and refining a system of board-spectrum services. Through the Middle School Matters initiative, the program coordinates a wide array of evidence-based services and provides campuses with integrated coordination to ensure the services area available to meet the specific needs of students.
Great strides were made this year:
- As a result of UWATX coordination and funding, our partners delivered more than 1,200 interventions (sessions in behavioral health, case management, mentoring, out-of-school time, parent education and tutoring) at 3 high-needs middle schools.
- Target Graduation facilitated 75 Youth Program Quality assessments, 23 professional development courses and the training of 108 individuals on improving the quality of their youth programs.
Looking forward, we will continue to implement research- and evidence-based models and tracking results to improve the outcomes for children and youth in Greater Austin. We are excited about the future potential of Target Graduation and all UWATX could do for Greater Austin, our stakeholders and mot importantly, our community’s youth. With your support we can measurably improve the graduation rate and help our community continue to thrive.