SRG Fact Page

Purpose and Structure of the Program

Colorado’s Student Re-engagement Grant (SRG) provides educational services and supports to local education providers to maintain student engagement and facilitate student re-engagement at the secondary level. The grant, authorized by state statute C.R.S. 22-14-109, is managed by the Office of Student Engagement and Dropout Prevention (SEDP). Funding for this three-year grant is awarded through a competitive grant process and is based on state appropriations. In each fiscal year, $1.9 million is distributed to grantees. The grant program focuses on LEAs serving 6^th to 12^th grade students.

The second cohort of 11 districts was awarded April 2019. Program descriptions by grantee and overall program results can be found on the SRG webpage.

Cohort 2 SRG Grantees (2019-2022)	Awarded Schools
Center Consolidated School District 27JT	Skoglund Middle School Center High School Recover Center
Cripple Creek-Victor School District RE-1	Cripple Creek-Victor Jr./Sr. High School
Douglas County School District	Hope Online Learning Academy High School
Denver Public Schools	John F. Kennedy High School George Washington High School Thomas Jefferson High School
Durango School District 9-R	Durango Big Picture School
Jefferson County Public Schools	Arvada High School McLain High School
Mesa County Valley School District 51	Gateway School Central High School R-5 High School Grand River Academy
Pueblo School District 70	70 Online
Silverton School District	Silverton High School
St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J	Olde Columbine High School St. Vrain Online Global Academy Skyline High School
Weld Re-8 School District	Fort Lupton High School

Student Success Stories

Students participating in the SRG program stated that positive relationships with staff and teachers were critical to their success.

Example success story from a metro-area school district grantee

Student A has struggled greatly with math. She does not have an IEP but regularly scores low on math in standardized tests, and her math grades have been low for many years. Student A approached her advisor, asking for extra support. Her advisor arranged for her to meet with our SRG tutor three times a week for extra math support and the tutor was often available during math class for one-on-ones. The student and tutor have built a strong relationship and the student often turns to the tutor for support in other areas.

Example success story from a rural school district grantee

After enrolling, an out-of-school student was able to use online credit recovery classes and Friday School, resulting in being able to graduate with a diploma. She said to staff at graduation, "Had it not been for the credit recovery program, the services offered to my mom and I at the family dinners, and the Friday School days, I would not have graduated this year, maybe not at all!"

Addressing Risk Factors to Prevent Dropping Out

Research shows that dropping out is not a single event but a regressive process. Multiple risk factors contribute to why students disengage from school. Grantees addressed the following risk factors that most often hinder high school completion: behavior and discipline incidents, course failure, lack of credits needing to graduate, and low attendance.

The Colorado Dropout Prevention Framework outlines strategies and practices to prevent student dropout by improving student attendance, behavior and course performance. The SRG program awards funding to schools to implement components of the Colorado Dropout Prevention Framework, such as transition programs, multiple pathways to graduation, re-engagement of out-of-school youth, and credit recovery.

Cohort 1 Results*

Between 2016 and 2019, grantees in Cohort 1, including 10 districts serving 35 schools, were awarded $6.6 million to implement programing – a program rate of $475 per student served (range from $230 to $1,472 per student). The outcomes listed below highlight evaluation results for the three-year period between July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019. See the School District Map, which highlights all the districts served by the grant

More than 10,000 Colorado Students Served

Grantees served re-engaged out-of-school youth and 6^th to 12^th grade students at risk for dropping out of school due to factors such as course failure, low attendance, and insufficient credit accrual.
Of the students served, 52.9 percent were male, and 61.1 percent identified as Hispanic. Most students served were in 9^th through 12^th grade (96 percent of students). More than half of students served qualified for free/reduced lunch (67.6 percent of students), 28.1 percent were English learners, 13.0 percent had a special education designation, and 3.7 percent were identified as homeless.

Eight out of 10 Students Experienced Positive Outcomes

Grantees reported an increase in positive student outcomes from 86.0 percent of students in 2016-2017 to 88.3 percent of students in 2018-2019 (e.g., school completion, persistence in their education, and continuing services to overcome education barriers).
The percent of students served who dropped out of school decreased by 3.9 percentage points (from 8.4 percent in 2016-2017 to 4.5 percent in 2018-2019).
More than 2,000 students served by the grant program graduated or completed high school by 2018-2019. The economic benefits to these students and the state can be captured by an increase in projected lifetime earnings and annual state and local tax revenue, which is estimated at $230,000 per high school graduate.¹

Funded Schools Showed Improvement

Funded schools reported increases in attendance rates (0.9 percentage point increase) and decreases in both truancy rates (1.3 percentage point decrease) and dropout rates (1.4 percentage point decrease) from 2016-2017 to 2018-2019.
Grantees who funded re-engagement efforts for out-of-school youth had a successful re-engagement rate of 66.6 percent by 2018-2019.

Cohort 2 Results*

In 2019-20, 11 SRG grantees reported serving 2,542 students, including 163 (6.4%) out-of-school youth. All grantees reported funding enhanced counseling/ mentoring and credit recovery efforts for students served. Other most common strategies and tactics implemented include data analysis and tracking (90.4% of funded schools), enhancing school climate (80.9% of funded schools), and partnering with families (80.9% of funded schools). Additional outcome results are pending.

* The full evaluation report can be found here. Evaluation data collection for Cohort 2 grantees is pending.