Expecting Success: How Policymakers and Educators Can Help Teen Parents Stay in School

Transcription

1 MARCH 2010 REPORT Expecting Success: How Policymakers and Educators Can Help Teen Parents Stay in School

2 The Promise Project This report is a product of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy s Promise Project. Through this project, the Alliance works to increase educational achievement among pregnant and parenting teens in Massachusetts as a means to promote young families independence and well-being. The long-term goal of the project is to increase the number of pregnant and parenting teens in Massachusetts who graduate high school or obtain a GED and pursue higher education. The Alliance works to achieve this goal through public policy research, analysis, advocacy, and community mobilization. Acknowledgements The Alliance has several people to thank for making this research and report possible: Many thanks to the following foundations for their partnership and generous support of the Promise Project: The Boston Women s Fund The Hyams Foundation The Anna B. Stearns Foundation Massachusetts Maternity and Foundling Hospital The Maximus Foundation United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley Research Methodology: The Institute for Community Health was instrumental to the research conducted for this report. ICH determined the sample methodology and helped develop the survey instrument. ICH co-wrote the methodology and demographics for this report. Survey Administration: The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy thanks all of the pregnant and parenting teen programs that generously contributed their time to administer the Promise Project survey. Focus Groups and Interviews: The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy thanks the schools, programs and individuals who took the time to complete surveys and participate in interviews and focus groups. Special Thanks: The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy graciously acknowledges public policy intern Monica Sawhney for her assistance with this report. The Alliance also acknowledges the significant help of volunteer Happy Green with survey administration.

3 Expecting Success: How Policymakers and Educators Can Help Teen Parents Stay in School Introduction Approximately 10,000 Massachusetts public high school students dropped out during the school year. National data indicate that teen parenthood is a leading reason that 26% of students drop out of school. 1 Applied to our state, this accounts for approximately 2,600 Massachusetts high school students who leave school each year. 2 Teen parenthood is an important reason that 33% of girls and 19% of boys drop out of high school in the U.S. each year. 3 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports that teen parenthood is the primary cause of dropout among girls. 4 These students are ill-equipped to meet even their own basic needs in this competitive economy, where the vast majority of jobs in Massachusetts that pay family-sustaining wages require education beyond the secondary level Leading Reasons for High School Dropout in the U.S. 74% 26% Teen Pregnancy Other Each year, approximately 2,600 young families face near-certain poverty, with all the costs to individuals, families, communities, and the Commonwealth that a life of poverty engenders. And so the cycle of poverty continues, since the children of poor teen mothers with limited education are much more likely to be poor themselves 6 Source: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2006). 1 Unless we radically change our response to and perception of what teen pregnancy and parenting means in our schools. We need to see it as the teen parents themselves see it a powerful, critical opportunity to redirect teens newly committed to succeed as students. We have a chance to re-engage teens who often had one foot out the door before pregnancy, but are now committed to coming back in and facing their challenges head on. Schools face increasing pressure to reduce dropout. The recommendations in this report (page 9) will help schools decrease the number of pregnant and parenting teens who drop out. Policymakers and schools should: 1. Make teen parents a first priority as the Commonwealth invests in effective dropout prevention, intervention, and recovery strategies, impacting not only teen parents own trajectory through school and work, but also that of the young children they parent. 2. Promote a culture of high expectations for teen parents academic success, recognize their commitment, and capitalize on their new motivation. 3. Develop a specific roadmap to graduation for every pregnant or parenting student consistent with federal Title IX rights. MARCH

4 Poverty, hardship, and lost opportunity are not inevitable. Nothing is inevitable about teen parenting if we change the environment in which young parents learn we can change the outcomes for them and for their children. A positive environment that sends the clear message to teen parents that we believe in them, that we recognize their commitment, and that we will support their efforts will make a difference for these youth, their families, their communities and the Commonwealth. What helps me stay in school is my child and her future. If I don t finish it could be hard for both of us in the future and I don t want that for her. This report includes findings from surveys, focus groups and interviews the Alliance conducted across Massachusetts. This research investigated factors that impact pregnant and parenting teens ability to complete high school or pass the GED. 7 The Alliance captured the perspective of pregnant and parenting teens through the survey and focus groups, and the input of teen parent providers and educators through focus groups and interviews. Let s not miss what may be our best opportunity to launch two lives. What We Learned 1. Teen Pregnancy Ignites a Commitment to School for Previously Disconnected Youth Pregnant and parenting teens report that they become re-committed to school because they want to create a better future for their children. Many pregnant and parenting teens who were disengaged before pregnancy say it is less challenging to stay in school after pregnancy. Some pregnant and parenting teens report that their attendance improved during or after pregnancy. 2. Was Staying in School Hard? 58% 3% 39% Before you were pregnant/ an expectant father? 50% 50% Once you were a parent? Yes No Don t know Nearly 40% of respondents had a hard time staying in secondary school before they were pregnant or an expectant father (see chart 2). However, over 50% of these respondents reported that staying in school was less challenging once they were parents. These respondents most commonly cited their child as the reason staying in school became less challenging. Qualitative data from youth focus groups also illustrate how teen parents are driven to stay in school for their children. One young parent stated: What helps me stay in school is my child and her future. If I don't finish it could be hard for both of us in the future and I don t want that for her. Another youth shared: My son motivates me to keep trying and striving to do my best. Getting my diploma is something that is very important to me. I realized it wasn t about me anymore. 2 EXPECTING SUCCESS: HOW POLICYMAKERS AND EDUC ATORS C AN HELP TEEN PARENTS STAY IN SCHOOL

5 A significant portion of pregnant and parenting teens improved their attendance because of their child. Twenty four percent of respondents said their attendance improved during pregnancy and 32% reported it improved after pregnancy. These respondents articulated that their child motivated them to improve their attendance. When asked why their attendance improved, one youth said: Because I want my son to have the best. Another youth asserted: I realized it wasn t about me anymore. Despite these young peoples motivation to stay in school, pregnant and parenting students too often lack the external supports they need to reach their educational goals. Nationally, only 40% of teen mothers 17 and younger and 63% of 18 and 19 year old mothers graduate from high school as compared to 75% of young females who become parents when they are 20 or 21 years old. 8 My son motivates me to keep trying and striving to do my best. Getting my diploma is something that is very important to me. Implications: Rather than view teen pregnancy and parenting as the end of educational attainment for teens, we need to see it as an opportunity to re-engage youth who are uniquely motivated to succeed. Promising Practice: The Comprehensive School Aged Parenting Program (CSAPP), Boston, MA CSAPP is a non-profit agency that operates within Boston Public Schools. CSAPP works to promote a culture of high expectations for pregnant and parenting teens and to support these youth in graduating high school. As soon as a student is identified as pregnant or parenting, CSAPP staff work with the student to develop a graduation plan and to ensure the student has the supports the youth needs to meet his or her goals to stay in school. During the school year, 77% of the pregnant and parenting teens in CSAPP s program graduated high school.* Promising Practices are examples of models and strategies that encompass some of the Alliance s recommendations for how to improve secondary school completion among pregnant and parenting teens in Massachusetts. The Alliance chose promising practices based on its 30 years of experience working with pregnant and parenting teens and their providers. Information on these practices is based on existing Alliance knowledge, program websites, and in some cases interviews with providers. There are many other programs employing promising practices that could not be included in this report due to space limitations. MARCH

6 Only a small percentage of pregnant and parenting respondents felt adults at their school were very unsupportive. Kids talked, and teachers judged. 2. School Culture is Supportive, But Work Remains to Create Universal High Expectations Pregnant and parenting teens report that overall teachers and peers are supportive they say peers and teachers encourage them to stay in school and teachers work to provide them with the help they need to finish secondary school. Some pregnant and parenting teens report being treated poorly or discriminated against by teachers and peers at school. A significant portion of pregnant and parenting respondents (41% and 47%, respectively) felt that adults at their school were very supportive of them upon discovery that they were pregnant or parenting. Only a small percentage of pregnant and parenting respondents (2% and 3%, respectively) felt adults at their school were very unsupportive. Focus group youth articulated that supportive teachers are those who: Push you, say that you need to step up to the plate, They give you more one-on-one time, are more flexible they will listen to [you] and try to find a way to solve [your] problem. They point out weak areas too to make you stronger. Data on peer support in school parallel the data on adult support shown in chart 3. Youth from focus groups expressed that supportive peers are those who they could talk to and who encouraged them to stay in school. Although pregnant or parenting youth may by and large feel supported in school, our findings reveal prejudices against these teens persist. Fifteen percent of respondents reported that they were treated worse because they were pregnant and 5% expressed they were treated poorly because they were a 3. Behavior of School Staff Upon Discovery of Pregnant or Parenting Youth 50% 0% 2% 3% Very unsupportive Pregnant youth 6% 1% Somewhat unsupportive 19% 17% Neither supportive nor unsupportive Parenting youth 32% 31% Somewhat supportive 47% 41% Very supportive teen parent. In the words of some respondents: Everyone would look and stare and talk, Kids talked, and teachers judged, Students and teachers made jokes, [I was] physically threatened by students, I was outcasted. Qualitative data from youth focus groups suggest that most teen parents have at some point experienced discrimination or felt very unwelcome by peers or adults at school. Findings from a study of high school dropouts sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation indicate that schools can do more to provide pregnant and parenting teens with the supports they need to stay in school. The study found that students who left school because of parenthood were among the study participants who were the most likely to report that they would have worked harder if their teachers demanded more of them and provided the necessary supports. 9 The Gates Foundation study found that students who left school because of parenthood were among the study participants who were the most likely to report that they would have worked harder if their teachers demanded more of them and provided the necessary supports. 4 EXPECTING SUCCESS: HOW POLICYMAKERS AND EDUC ATORS C AN HELP TEEN PARENTS STAY IN SCHOOL

7 Implications: Educators should build on the climate of support to ensure that all pregnant and parenting students feel safe and encouraged in the school environment. Educators must push these students to success and ensure that their unique commitment is met with faith in their abilities to achieve academically. Promising Practices: The Care Center Education Program for Pregnant and Parenting Teens, Holyoke, MA The Care Center is an alternative education and GED program. The program focuses on higher education and offers rich academic opportunities including courses in the humanities, athletics, math, science, history, and literature. The Care Center also provides wrap around support services including transportation and child care. The Care Center sends a clear message to teen parents that their achievement in secondary education is only the beginning of a lifetime of success. For example, 50% of their graduates leave The Care Center with college credits that they have earned through the Care Center s collaboration with area colleges. 3. Schools Need a Fresh Approach to Family Engagement Teen parent providers report family support to stay in school is a highly important factor related to school completion among pregnant and parenting teens. Pregnant and parenting teens report support from friends, partners and other adults helps them stay in school. Pregnant and parenting teens and teen parent providers feel many of these youth lack family support. Teen parent providers identified family dysfunction and lack of family support as the most influential inhibiting factor for pregnant and parenting teens in completing their secondary education. Providers agreed that many pregnant and parenting teens do not have family support. Youth focus group participants agree around half of focus group youth said that their family was not supportive of them. Yet, youth want adults in their lives who are there for them. Some focus group youth shared that adults should push them, not let them slack, have rules, and remain dedicated. Providers explained that when families are not supportive of teens, other systems such as community-based organizations must do their best to fill in. These data suggest pregnant and parenting teens are more likely to stay in school when their families provide encouragement, set high expectations, and are available to help out. Encouragement from friends, partners, and other adults also helps pregnant and parenting teens stay in school. Approximately half of respondents reported that staying in secondary school was less challenging after pregnancy. Among these respondents, more than 50% said family, friend, and/or partner support made staying in school less challenging (see chart 4). Some survey respondents shared how their families, friends and teachers were there for them: My mom and my teacher are really supportive of me so that helps me stay in school, My parents and friends help me get to school every day. 4. Top 5 Reasons Staying in School is Less Challenging During Pregnancy After Pregnancy 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 63% 55% Had to stay in school for child 62% 49% Grades were good 61% 44% Able to complete homework 57% 52% Believed needed to graduate HS/ get GED to be happy 57% 51% Family, friends boyfriend or partner were supportive of staying in school MARCH

8 Our findings demonstrate that encouragement and support from family, friends, partners, and adults all help pregnant and parenting teens to complete their secondary education. However, the qualitative data indicate that family support likely has a greater impact on pregnant and parenting students ability to stay in school. More research is needed to investigate the ways in which pregnant and parenting teens families can best support these students to stay in school. Implications: Schools should explore new approaches for engaging families in the educational achievement of pregnant and parenting teens. Schools and community based organizations should work together to fill in the gaps left by disengaged families with support services such as case management and child care that many teen parents need to stay in school. Promising Practice: Putnam Vocational Technical High School, Springfield, MA The guidance counselors at Putnam work with every student identified as pregnant or parenting to ensure these youth have the supports they need to stay in school. This includes engaging the parents of teen parents. One way Putnam does this is through a grandparent support group where grandparents and guidance counselors discuss issues such as housing, rules at home, and parenting skills of the teen parent and grandparent. 4. Success Hinges on Flexible Scheduling, Innovative Credit Accumulation Options, and Access to Information Many pregnant and parenting teens report that they miss school due to exhaustion, illness, doctor appointments and lack of child care. Pregnant and parenting teens indicate that their schools have limited innovative options for them to complete schoolwork. Too many pregnant and parenting respondents are uninformed about whether flexible scheduling, innovative credit accumulation and non-traditional school completion options exist at their schools. 5. Reasons Attendance Declined 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 71% Teen being sick due to pregnancy 72% 51% 63% 64% 64% During Pregnancy 49% After Pregnancy 19% 19% 16% 10% 0% 0% 0% 3% 2% Up night before school with baby/ too tired to go to school Doctor Sick child appointments Lack of child care Other Teen didn t like the way he/she was being treated None of the above Flexible Scheduling Among the respondents whose attendance declined (60% during pregnancy and 46% once parenting), 50% or more reported the following reasons for the decline: Exhaustion due to pregnancy or from the teen being up the night before with his or her baby Sickness due to pregnancy or the teen s child was sick Doctor appointments for the teen or teen s child Lack of child care (see chart 5) 6 EXPECTING SUCCESS: HOW POLICYMAKERS AND EDUC ATORS C AN HELP TEEN PARENTS STAY IN SCHOOL

9 These data demonstrate that pregnant and parenting teens would greatly benefit from flexible scheduling options and excused tardiness or absences when students must attend to parental responsibilities that interfere with traditional school hours. Our findings provide some evidence of existing flexible scheduling at schools. The majority (87%) of respondents reported that their school excused absences when a student had a doctor appointment for the teen or her/his baby. Fewer youth (76%) reported tardiness was excused for the same reasons. Innovative Credit Accumulation Options The demands of parenthood in addition to school, and sometimes work, can make completing homework a challenge for pregnant and parenting teens. Respondents frequently indicated that slipping or poor grades made staying in school difficult. However, few schools appear to offer creative options for these students to accumulate credits, stay caught up on work, and prepare for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). 10 Although 59% of respondents indicated their school would send home homework when on maternity leave, less than half of respondents reported that their school offered home tutoring, summer or evening classes, partial credit for classes and/or help in preparing for MCAS. Lack of Information on Flexible Scheduling, Innovative Credit Accumulation and Non-Traditional Schools A considerable percentage of respondents were unaware of whether flexible scheduling or innovative credit accumulation options existed at their schools. Between 26% and 48% of respondents did not know if their school offered: To send home homework when a student was on maternity leave; Home tutoring; Summer or evening classes; Partial credit for classes or Help in preparing for MCAS. Nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents did not know if there were any high schools, non-traditional schools, or GED programs for pregnant and parenting teens in or near their community. Furthermore, although 68% of survey youth reported such programs exist, 29% said that no one at their school ever told them about these programs. It is unknown whether respondents schools did not provide information about existing flexible scheduling, credit accumulation or nontraditional school options or whether these supports did not exist. Nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents did not know if there were any high schools, non-traditional schools, or GED programs for pregnant and parenting teens in or near their community. MARCH

10 Implications: Pregnant and parenting students often need nontraditional supports to stay in school. If we continue with traditional policies and practices, then we will continue to lose almost 2,600 students each year due to teen parenthood. Creative solutions such as flexible scheduling and innovative credit accumulation options are needed to prevent these young people from dropping out. Some schools are meeting the needs of teen parents, but in a piecemeal fashion. Schools will more efficiently use their existing resources if they have one staff person who is knowledgeable about existing supports and who creates a roadmap to graduation for every pregnant and parenting student. Promising Practices: Phoenix Charter Academy, Chelsea, MA The Phoenix Charter Academy implements many innovative strategies for academic success such as a Summer Academy where students can build credit or make up credit. This charter school creates individualized graduation plans for each student depending on his or her college goals. Phoenix also counts parenting education towards graduation credits, explicitly allows maternity leave, and creates a plan with every pregnant teen for how she will transition back into school after maternity leave. Clonlara and Oak Meadow Online Schools These schools offer the flexibility and support teen parents need to finish high school. Students are able to earn credits in a variety of ways and on their own time schedule. Clonlara School offers students complete freedom in planning and designing curriculum, while Oak Meadow offers a more structured curriculum. Both schools offer the option of combining credits earned at the college or university level, and encourage and support internships and skill-based jobs. 8 EXPECTING SUCCESS: HOW POLICYMAKERS AND EDUC ATORS C AN HELP TEEN PARENTS STAY IN SCHOOL

11 Policy Recommendations 1. Make teen parents a first priority as the Commonwealth invests in effective dropout prevention and recovery strategies. 2. Radically change our response to teen pregnancy to acknowledge teen parents commitment to education and to promote a culture of high expectations for their academic success. Make teen parents a first priority as the Commonwealth invests in effective dropout prevention and recovery strategies. 3. Establish school policies that outline supports for pregnant and parenting teens and that articulate the rights of these students. These policies must include Title IX federal law and its stipulations regarding the rights of pregnant and parenting teens in school Establish school protocol that Title IX coordinators or identified staff at every school implement when students are identified as pregnant or parenting. Protocol includes a roadmap to graduation for each pregnant or parenting student. With the help of the teen, schools should identify and engage a key family or nonfamily member in the development of this roadmap to graduation. 5. Implement innovative and non-traditional ideas for pregnant and parenting students to accumulate credits and have flexible scheduling. Schools need to ensure that students are informed of these supports, of non-traditional pathways to secondary school completion, and of community-based support programs. Pregnant and parenting teen parent providers and educators should also help these youth gain the skills and confidence to seek out these kinds of supports. 6. Foster collaboration among schools, community-based organizations and alternative programs to connect pregnant and parenting teens with the school-based supports and social services they need to stay in school and pursue higher education. 7. Develop a statewide dropout task force and help school districts develop local dropout task forces. These task forces include pregnant and parenting teens and professionals who work with them. 8. Track de-identified information to ascertain the number of pregnant and parenting teens within school systems and their graduation rates. Schools, alternative programs and community-based organizations should work together to establish consistent data collection systems and to increase information sharing. 9. Conduct additional research to assess how families can best support their pregnant and parenting teens to graduate high school. Conduct additional research on how to improve high school, GED and higher education completion rates among teen fathers and teen parents with other leading risk factors for dropout (e.g. foster youth, court involved youth). Additional research is conducted on how state agencies, schools, alternative programs, and community-based organizations can collaborate on addressing dropout among pregnant and parenting teens. 10. Implement comprehensive sex education curriculum in Massachusetts schools and support teen pregnancy prevention as a dropout prevention strategy. Include access to contraception and reproductive health care in school-based health centers and make condoms available to middle and high school students. Radically change our response to teen pregnancy to acknowledge teen parents commitment to education and to promote a culture of high expectations for their academic success. MARCH

12 Conclusion We need to take responsibility as a society for guiding young people individually through adolescence and for improving schools and supports that impact the prosperity of the entire community. We know of no single issue more tied to dropout than teen pregnancy. Teen parenthood is the number one reason girls leave school 12 and a significant factor for 19% of boys who drop out. 13 If we want to reach the Graduation and Dropout Prevention and Recovery Commission s goal to reduce the statewide dropout by 50% over the next 5 years, then we must prevent teen pregnancy and help more teen parents finish school. A child has a 27% chance of growing up in poverty if the mother gives birth as a teen. If the mother also does not achieve a high school diploma or GED, the chance of child poverty increases to 42%. 14 Since poverty is both a cause and a consequence of early childbearing, impoverished children are at increased risk of becoming teen parents themselves. Most would agree that education is the way out and absolutely central to breaking the cycle of poverty. When teen mothers complete their secondary school education, they are also more likely to prevent second teen births, creating greater opportunity for their families to escape poverty. Vilification of teen parents gets us off the hook for the limited realms of possibility experienced by so many young people. Negative views about the potential of young parents only serve to make it more likely that they will fail. The combination of the innate risks of adolescence and the added risks of impoverished communities create exponential risk for some young people. We need to take responsibility as a society for guiding young people individually through adolescence and for improving schools and supports that impact the prosperity of the entire community. Pregnant and parenting teens are driven to succeed, despite the substantial challenges they face. We must shift our response to teen pregnancy so that we capitalize on teen parents unique motivation and push them to meet high expectations. We must match our high expectations with the kinds of innovations, flexibility, and opportunities that will help teen parents meet their responsibilities as parents and reach their potential as students. 10 EXPECTING SUCCESS: HOW POLICYMAKERS AND EDUC ATORS C AN HELP TEEN PARENTS STAY IN SCHOOL

13 Methodology and Sample Characteristics 15 The Alliance conducted surveys, focus groups, and interviews to investigate what helps and hinders pregnant and parenting teens in Massachusetts graduate high school or pass the GED.The Institute for Community Health, an external, independent evaluator, played an integral role in the survey sampling and survey instrument design. 16 A total of 273 surveys were completed by pregnant and parenting teens. The Alliance conducted 6 youth focus groups, two teen parent provider focus groups, and four teen parent provider and educator interviews. A total of 52 youth and 16 providers participated in focus groups. All data was collected between November 2008 and August The percentages reported in this report for each survey question are based on the total number of respondents who answered each question. The survey data is representative of the average pregnant or parenting teen served by state-funded teen parent programs in Massachusetts. There were teen mom and teen dad versions of the survey and it was available in Spanish and English. Ninety-six percent of respondents were female (3% were male). Most respondents were parenting (77%), while 17% were pregnant and 6% were pregnant and parenting. Respondents ranged from 15 to 25 years old, but most were between the ages of 18 and 25. Fifty-two percent of the sample was Hispanic/Latino, 20% was Caucasian/White, 13% was African American/Black, 7% was multiracial, 6% identified as other, and 3% was Asian. The Alliance also conducted four focus groups with pregnant and parenting teens and one with teen parent providers to further investigate what helps and hinders pregnant and parenting teens in Massachusetts graduate high school or pass the GED. The Alliance conducted two additional youth focus groups and one additional teen parent provider focus group to gather input on initial policy recommendations for this report. Lastly, the Alliance interviewed teen parent educators from three public schools and a teen parent provider from a school-based non-profit about their work to improve secondary school completion among pregnant and parenting teens. Promise Project Next Steps The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy will continue its policy advocacy for the supports pregnant and parenting teens need to complete their secondary education. Neither dropping out nor graduating high school should be the end of the road for pregnant and parenting teens. The next phase of the Promise Project will include research and policy advocacy focused on dropout outreach and recovery, and access to higher education for pregnant and parenting teens. The Alliance is committed to building on partnerships with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, other key state agencies, schools, advocacy organizations, community based programs, and legislators to work together to reduce dropout rates and promote dropout outreach and recovery in Massachusetts. MARCH

14 1 The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Retrieved March 10, 2009, from 2 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2009). High school dropouts Massachusetts public schools. Retrieved November 5, 2009, from National Women s Law Center (2007). When girls don t graduate we all fail: A call to improve high school graduation rates for girls. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from 3 National Women s Law Center (2007). When girls don t graduate we all fail: A call to improve high school graduation rates for girls. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from 4 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. (n.d.).why it matters: Teen pregnancy and education. [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from 5 Crittenton Women s Union and The Center for Social Policy (2008). Fits and starts: The difficult path for working single parents. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from 6 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. (n.d.). Why it matters: Teen pregnancy, poverty, and income disparity. [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from 7 General Educational Development tests (GED) 8 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (2006), By the numbers: The public costs of teen childbearing. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from * More information about the Comprehensive School Aged Parenting Program can be found at: 9 The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Retrieved March 10, 2009, from More information about The Care Center can be found at: To learn more about teen parent supports at Putnam Vocational Technical High School, contact the guidance department: 10 Massachusetts students must pass this exam to graduate high school. More information about Phoenix Charter Academy can be found at: more information about Clonlara School can be found at more information about Oak Meadow School can be found at 11 Title IX federal law stipulates that: 1. Schools are required to designate an employee as Title IX Coordinator and to ensure compliance and investigate any complaints of sex discrimination. Schools should also issue guidelines for responding to discrimination or harassment. 2. A school may offer special programs or schools for pregnant and parenting students, but such programs must be voluntary and have opportunities equal to those offered for non-pregnant students. 3. Absences due to pregnancy or childbirth must be excused for as long as they are deemed medically necessary by the student s doctor, after which the student must be reinstated to the status held when their leave began and must be given an opportunity to make up the work she missed. 4. Any special services for temporarily disabled students (such as homebound instruction or tutoring) must also be provided for pregnant students. 5. A school may not exclude a student from school or extracurricular activities because she is pregnant, has had a child, has had an abortion, or is recovering from any of these conditions. (National Women s Law Center. (2009), The rights of pregnant and parenting students under Title IX, Washington, DC.) 12 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (n.d.). Why it matters: Teen pregnancy and education [Factsheet], Retrieved from 13 National Women s Law Center (2007). When girls don t graduate we all fail: A call to improve high school graduation rates for girls. Retrieved November 5, 2009, from 14 The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Why it matters: Teen pregnancy, poverty, and income disparity. [Factsheet]. Retrieved from 15 For more information on methodology and sampling characteristics please visit: 16 Through community partnerships, the Institute for Community Health does research and evaluation focused on building sustainable community health. To learn more about ICH visit 12 EXPECTING SUCCESS: HOW POLICYMAKERS AND EDUC ATORS C AN HELP TEEN PARENTS STAY IN SCHOOL

15 For more information about the Promise Project or this report please contact Liz Umbro, Public Policy Manager at x101 or

16 Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy 105 Chauncy Street, 8th Floor Boston MA Main Fax