By Elizabeth Senn-Alvey

One in seven teens and young adults (16- to 24-year-olds) in Kentucky were neither in school nor working in 2023 according to a report by Measure of America.   

Many of the young people who “disconnect” left before graduating high school, often due to early or consistent exposure to violence or serious trauma, involvement in the child welfare or justice systems, recent immigration to the community, or unrecognized academic challenges. Young people experiencing economic hardship, Black and brown youth, students with special education needs, and LGBTQ+ youth are significantly more likely to disconnect from school or leave without the basic skills required for family-sustaining employment. 

Teens living in cities and rural areas throughout Kentucky experience challenges that schools do not cause and cannot address alone. The scale and complexity of these challenges require schools, families, and a network of community organizations to work together to meet individual needs and to make substantive systems change. 

In Louisville, a collaboration of community organizations is implementing an innovative strategy to support middle and high school-age students enrolled in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) who are “off track” in school. First convened by Tara Grieshop-Goodwin, Kentucky Youth Advocates’ Chief Impact Officer, partners including Neighborhood House, Americana World Community Center, The Book Works, YMCA Safe Place, and 2Not1 offer services on school days for students who are not attending school.  

The Education Engagement Hubs in the Portland and South Louisville neighborhoods offer programming during school hours to help middle and high-school-age students focus on academics while managing challenges that lead to absences, suspensions, or leaving school before graduating.  

At the Education Engagement Hub, youth and their families: 

  • Set and reach education goals 
  • Find support to improve attendance, grades, and behavior 
  • Develop social-emotional and mental wellness skills 
  • Explore options for re-enrolling if they are not currently in school  
  • Return to school as quickly as possible 

The Education Engagement Hubs initiative was piloted successfully last year and expanded into two neighborhood-based locations this school year. To date, more than 90% of students attending the program returned to school immediately after participating and nearly half of participants will continue working with an Education Advocate to continue working through challenges.  

One student’s experience (who we will refer to as Alex to protect privacy) in the Education Engagement Hub illustrates the impact.  

Alex is currently in the 8th grade, attending a behavior support alternative program in JCPS. The learner attended the engagement site for a full week during a 10-day suspension. The learner received assistance with completing their homework, getting back on track with missed assignments, and participating in programming that was geared to their social-emotional development.  

In the follow-up survey, Alex’s guardian reports:  

“The child has had a pretty hard time in school, not wanting to attend school, not doing schoolwork, fighting, suspensions. Since going to the program for a week Alex has a better attitude, wants to do work, and received a shout-out for doing well in school.” 

Throughout the 2024-25 school year, the Education Engagement Hubs implementation team will expand services to include youth-led mental health circles, literacy evaluation and support, and crisis case management through partner organizations. Kentucky Youth Advocates is leading the robust program evaluation process in partnership with JCPS to measure the short and long-term impact on participants.  The team is committed to developing and sharing an evidence-based and highly effective model for supporting learners facing challenges. 

For more information on the Education Engagement Hubs in Louisville or to refer a young person for services, visit www.thebookworks.org/eduhub/. 

Elizabeth Senn-Alvey is Executive Director of The Book Works, a nonprofit established in Louisville in 2009 to support the education and employment of youth who are experiencing challenges.