A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to implement a rural‑urban dropout prevention pilot program in Durham and vance counties to benefit all north carolina schools.
Whereas, North Carolina and the federal government have set ambitious goals for the State's public schools; and
Whereas, meeting these goals will require new approaches, particularly in the area of dropout prevention, for all North Carolina schools systems, which continue to search for ways to keep students in school and on track to graduate; and
Whereas, to address the dropout issue in their communities and to provide North Carolina schools with a pathway to address the root causes of dropouts, the Vance and Durham County School Systems have developed a unique partnership to initiate innovative prevention and intervention measures to ensure all students graduate on time and with the necessary 21st century skills to be successful in the workplace; and
Whereas, the target population for this effort includes students with multiple risk factors, including students who are two or more years over age for their grade level, chronically truant students, students with multiple suspensions, students failing two or more classes, and students who are teen mothers; and
Whereas, this pilot program is designed to test two new approaches to dropout prevention, subject these approaches to rigorous performance review, and develop a model for success for other schools systems, both rural and urban, to realize their own dropout prevention goals; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of one million six hundred thousand dollars ($1,600,000) for the 2008‑2009 fiscal year to implement a rural‑urban dropout prevention pilot program in Durham and Vance Counties.  The purpose of the pilot program is (i) to address the dropout issue in Durham and Vance Counties and (ii) to test two new approaches to dropout prevention, subject these approaches to rigorous performance review, and develop a model for success for other schools systems, both rural and urban, to realize their own dropout prevention goals.
SECTION 1.(b)  Of these funds, the sum of:
(1)	$700,000 shall be used to implement a Citizens Schools Program in each county. The Citizens Schools Program provides high-quality, extended learning time for middle school students in schools with high percentages of minority students, poor students, or both, along with other risk factors for dropping out. Citizens Schools students receive after‑school instruction in groups of eight to twelve students per adult. The instruction includes (i) 60 minutes of daily academic support with strong study skills and critical thinking components, (ii) four 11‑week apprenticeships, using volunteers as leaders focusing on 21st century skills, and (iii) career exploration and choice time to further explore a variety of interests. Citizens Schools Team Leaders contact each student's family by telephone at least every two weeks to discuss the student's participation and progress.
(2)	$900,000 shall be used to implement an Evening Academy Program in each county. The Evening Academy program is an on‑campus Program that will provide approximately 100 students with academic support through smaller classes, specialized instruction geared toward a more adult population, counselors or social workers assigned to work with only academy students, and career and technical education that includes job experiences such as shadowing, apprenticeships, and employment.
SECTION 1.(c)  North Carolina State University shall evaluate the program to ensure that it  is effectively helping students stay in school and successfully graduate in their four‑year cohort. The evaluation shall include a long‑term study of the graduation cohort rate increase as well as short-term measures including attendance, grade point average, discipline, the program dropout rate, credits earned, and postsecondary education matriculation.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.