Improving High School Completion Rates for Calgary Students

The Funders for Youth agreed that the high school completion rate in Calgary needs to be improved. They also agreed that improving the high school completion rate is a community responsibility - the business sector, citizens, nonprofits and government working together. Kafé12 is the means by which the Funders for Youth will engage the Calgary community in caring about improving high school completion.

Twenty-five percent of Alberta students do not complete high school within five years of entering Grade 10. And in Calgary current statistics indicate that about 30% don't complete. This issue is a top priority for Calgary school boards and the provincial government. Too many youth in Calgary and across Alberta are still not completing high school. This is especially true for those youth who face additional obstacles to success, often referred to as vulnerable or multiple risk youth. Multi-risk youth have critical challenges to overcome including poverty, abuse, social and behavioral issues, cultural or ESL challenges.

In preparation for a world cafe forum, the Funders for Youth commissioned a discussion The Best Start is Finishing, which provided useful background information on: the value of education to the individual, the economy, and society as a whole; the reasons behind high school drop-out; and promising ways helping vulnerable youth to complete high school and further their education. In November 2005, the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA), called on school boards to lead the change which led to the 2006 publication of “How to Improve Alberta’s High School Completion Rates: Insights From Alberta School Trustees.”  Both these documents serve as a valuable guide for Kafé12.

Currently the goal of this first initiative is for the community, through the Kafé12 initiative, to assist in improving the high school completion rate 20 per cent by the year 2020.

In 2008, the first world cafe event happened on April 10 (view report) to gauge community interest and start the conversations.  On June 5, a smaller group met to develop a Community Framework. Since then,  three working groups focusing on Policy, Partnerships and Public Awareness have been established to begin fleshing out ideas, priorities and setting the groundwork for finding solutions.

In 2009, these groups will continue to meet and continue to recruit involve key community stakeholders. Progress, outcomes and results will be forthcoming.