CHOICES Champion
The CHOICES Champion brings you news and information about the CHOICES program, management tips, case studies and more. We welcome your suggestions, submissions and comments, which can be sent to info@choices.org or to your primary CHOICES contact.
CHOICES NEWS:
Making Tough Choices: Making CHOICES Tough! |
In this difficult economy, you may be wondering how we at CHOICES are managing, and how hopeful we are for the future of our cause to keep teens “into” school. These questions elicit a theme that aptly describes exactly how we are doing: Managing Hope!
CHOICES Education Group is no stranger to making tough choices. In the nearly 24 years since we opened our doors in 1985, we have faced many external and internal challenges, and in the process we have made tough choices in order to make CHOICES tougher! Read the full article!
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CHOICES MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE MONTH
It’s Time to Record and Compile Your CHOICES Student and Staff Surveys
Since many of you have finished or nearly finished your CHOICES presentations for the current academic year, now is the time to record and compile your student and staff surveys. You should have received a copy of the Survey Compilation Template (in spreadsheet format) and a set of Instructions from your CHOICES representative (let us know if you need it sent again).
Please make a copy of the template (to preserve a set for next year), enter this year’s data by school per the instructions, and you will have both student and staff approval ratings by school and for your complete program site. We also have a survey available that your Presenters can complete at the end of the school year, which can also be entered into the same template.
You can use this information to provide feedback to your schools, community (great for press releases!) organization and funders as applicable. Please also send your completed template to us so we can compile results on a national level. If you have any questions about this process, please contact us at info@choices.org.
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CHOICES FIELD REPORT
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Presenter Connects With Son
Through CHOICES |
"I am a huge advocate for CHOICES. Here is a little success story from the program. Over the past year or so I have been battling that wonderful transition into adolescence with my son, and have not been particularly successful at times. Quite often I got the “Oh here we go again with Dad” reaction. I had my son sit down and go through most of the program one-on-one with me. I have seen a dramatic change in him being more responsible and actually thinking about some of the choices he is making. I am ecstatic that something has helped me get through to him. Thank you so much…."
Mike Wernigk, Ludlow, IL | CHOICES Parent and Presenter
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The Dropout Epidemic
- 7,000 teens become high school dropouts every school day
- High correlation with being jobless, homeless & in prison
- Earn $260,000 less than H.S. graduates over lifetime
- Cost nation $209,000 each for healthcare, welfare and crime
- We incur $1.5 billion in future losses every school day
The CHOICES Response
- Personal empowerment & personal responsibility
- Connect school to the future
- Nearly 1,000 teens served every school day
- 1,800 community volunteers in 46 states
- Cost of less than $5 per teen
The CHOICES Impact
- Over 5 million served since 1985
- 88% approval rating from students
- 97% approval rating from teachers
- 9% increase in positive engagement coincident with CHOICES
- 9% decrease in negative or non-engagement
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