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Lanoue: Now is time for SOAR alternative

This past week, I have been asked, "Why are you proposing to develop a new alternative education program? And why now?"

My answer is, why not now? Why wait to more effectively serve our students? As Clarke County's schools superintendent, one of my primary obligations to our school community is to examine current educational programs and recommend changes when needed. And given my experiences in working with and leading alternative education programs, one of my areas of focus has been the success of students in SOAR Academy.

First and foremost in my assessment of student performance results was the need to recognize that alternative schools need to be just that: an alternative. Placing students in traditional settings similar to SOAR Academy often results in continued poor student performance. In examining the performance of our students at SOAR, I believe that we cannot wait until tomorrow to make changes that will help lead our students to success.

This past fall at SOAR Academy, only 10 percent of students passed End-of-Course Tests, and 72 percent of the students in grades six through nine did not meet state standards on the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. There have already been 863 suspensions this year, an average of 8.6 suspensions each day. We must adopt a new educational philosophy and design a program that will more effectively serve our students.

The recommendation I have made to the school board is that we replace SOAR Academy with a collaborative effort between Ombudsman Educational Services and the Northeast Georgia Regional Development Commission. Ombudsman has a proven track record of increasing student achievement and attendance rates, while reducing behavior issues. In fact, 80 percent of students attending Ombudsman-run alternative schools throughout the United States graduated in 2009. Ombudsman uses a model of individualized learning plans for each student, flexible instruction and self-paced curriculum delivery.

In addition to the Ombudsman academic program, students would also have the opportunity to gain work experience through collaboration with the Regional Development Commission. Students in this program would receive workplace readiness skills, paid employment for up to 15 hours a week, and up to two high school credits. That means students will be learning job skills and gaining confidence in themselves, while also earning a paycheck. This new educational program would be developed by the district to specifically address the needs of our students. In addition, if the recommendation passes, the school district will

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