The Iowa Department of Education is seeking comment on recommendations from the At-Risk Task Force regarding drop-out prevention programs and other programs that serve at-risk youth.
As part of Senate File 560, the Department was directed to convene an at-risk task force to study how schools currently use state funding for dropout prevention programs and other programs that serve at-risk students, the effectiveness of such programs and how to best utilize state funding to address dropout prevention and other programs that serve at-risk students. The Task Force’s findings and recommendations are due to the general assembly by Dec. 31.
Iowa Administrative Code defines an at-risk student as “any identified student who needs additional support and who is not meeting or not expected to meet the established goals of the educational program (academic, personal/social, career/vocational). At-risk students include, but are not limited to, students in the following groups: homeless children and youth, dropouts, returning dropouts and potential dropouts.”
Responses from the public comments survey will be collected through Dec. 1. The At-Risk Task Force will consider all public comments before finalizing its recommendations.
The At-Risk Task Force will have a virtual listening session on Tuesday, November 28 from 10:00am-11:00am. Task force members will be seeking verbal feedback on the draft recommendations.
More information about the At-Risk Task Force is available on the Department’s Boards, Commissions, Committees, Councils and Task Forces webpage.