Riverwood and Westlake are two of only 15 Georgia high schools to achieve an 85% graduation rate or better in 2008 and that have seen an increase of at least 10 percentage points since 2004. The schools also sustained that level through the 2009 graduation year. Fulton had two schools on the list whereas other systems were noted for their success of just one.

“The successes of Riverwood and Westlake illustrate how all schools can continuously improve; that even a high graduation rate can still be higher. We must make sure our students are given every opportunity to achieve their dreams by first completing high school,” said Superintendent Cindy Loe.

Dr. Stephen Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership, said his organization took a close look at the state graduation rate, which has shown a steady increase over the past few years. “When we started to look at the numbers, a group of schools stood out and it was apparent they were following winning formulas,” he said.

Various commonalities emerged among the “85/10” schools, including:

• A culture of high expectations for all and support for students who struggle academically
• Strong curriculum, assessment and instruction
• Multiple safety nets of intervention are provided for students who need them
• Administrators and teachers who routinely collaborate to create innovative approaches to ensure challenging courses and effective practices

Westlake High School’s principal, Dr. Byron White, attributes their success to a total commitment from every teacher to identify early on which students may need extra help. “We also instituted a weekly ‘no pass/no play’ policy for our athletes, which means coaches and teachers work collaboratively to ensure academics are a priority,” he said.

Eddie Echols, Riverwood International Charter School’s principal, believes their success is due to the commitment from teachers and the community to not accept failure as an option. “Through student support programs and professional learning communities, we focus 100% on student learning,” he said. “Several programs, such as after school tutorial programs, and the graduation coach and bilingual parent liaison, have established strong relationships with the Latino community to increase engagement.”   

Both a synopsis and the longer, detailed report are available on the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education’s web site, http://www.gpee.org/.