Strengthening Pathways to High School Graduation

One of the most important things to ensure young people have a healthy and successful young adulthood is to ensure they have positive high school experiences culminating in a strong diploma. A body of strong research on graduation pathways has developed over the past 10-15 years and one key finding is the critical importance of being on track in 9th grade.

The Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies and My Brother’s Keeper Newark (MBKN) are partnering to support better high school graduation outcomes in Newark, New Brunswick, and Camden, especially in schools with low graduation rates. Engaging high school and college student researchers and utilizing mixed methods, this project weaves relevant research literature together and studies predictors of high school graduation and the experience of school disconnection.

A series of community convenings in Newark, led by MBKN, will develop support for stronger graduation pathways beyond the school system. MBKN will create spaces where community members can learn more about building stronger graduation pathways and contribute their expertise, grounded in their knowledge of local conditions and priorities leveraging the evidence that strong community interest can help keep school systems focused.