Director's Desk

The Power of Partnership in a New Year

-Meria J. Carstarphen

Each January, the calendar resets, classrooms reopen for a new semester, and we collectively get another chance to do school differently – and better. In this edition of Equity Express, as schools launch the second semester, we lean into a theme that sustains everything we do: affiliations, teaming, and partnerships.

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Numbers That Matter:

Test Preparation and Credit Recovery

-Bill Caritj, Staff Writer

For students who have challenging considerations, have failed required courses, or are struggling with coursework, credit recovery is essential to staying on track. In one study, students who fail courses and enroll in online CR were “20 percentage points more likely to earn course credit… and are about eight percentage points more likely to graduate high school within four years than students who repeat courses traditionally” (Viano & Henry, 2024).

School Attendance and Social, Emotional and Academic Health

-Dr. Shuanta Broadway, Chief of Student Support Services, Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

As students return for the second semester, school attendance is back in focus. With chronic absenteeism affecting more than one in four students nationwide, missed days are quietly shaping academic, social, and emotional outcomes.