Getting Started at Your School

How do schools move from having a dropout rate that raises concern to having a successful dropout prevention and youth leadership program? The Valued Youth Partnership offers one possibility. The program can be readily replicated, it has been tested and proven, and IDRA offers training and technical assistance to support its accomplishment. The role of the schools, however, is irreplaceable. For the program to succeed, the schools must make the program their own, accepting it as part of the system, giving it the weight of their approval and support, and stamping it with their own unique identity.

School districts utilize the following funding sources to implement the Valued Youth Partnership in their schools: federal funds such as Title I and Title II, Title III, State Compensatory and Migrant Funds. Often schools form school business partnerships with businesses and local civic groups to secure funds.

In Texas, the State Board of Education approved the Valued Youth Partnership as an innovative course eligible for elective credit at the high school level. Students participating in the program can earn one state credit for their participation in this course. Contact TEA at 512-463-9581 for details.

“The program helped me become more responsible at home. I help my mother, and our relationship has gotten a lot better.”

– middle school tutor

Supporting the program at the district level; In broadest terms, the role of the schools in the Valued Youth Partnership includes:

Accepting the program’s philosophy as consistent with the school’s mission;
Setting goals for the school in terms of keeping at-risk students and helping them succeed;
Resolving to meet these goals through planning and action;
Committing time, effort and other resources to implement the program’s critical elements;
Collecting evaluation information to assess program implementation and program success; and
Valuing all youth.

See our checklist for getting started

Let the Valued Youth Partnership touch the lives of students, parents and educators in your district.

To get started on your Valued Youth Partnership implementation today, contact IDRA at 210-444-1710 or contact@idra.org.

*formerly named the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program

Valued Youth Partnership