Back on Track, Stay on Track

March 30, 2011  |  Recovery System

Los Angeles is Awarded Workforce Innovation Grant For Its County-Wide Initiative to Reengage Out-of-School Youth and Help them Stay on Track

Recognizing the need to address Los Angeles' dropout crisis, increase the economic prospects of the city and the ability of its youth to successfully compete in today's economy, Robert Sainz, Assistant General Manager of L.A.'s Community Development Department (CDD), is implementing a citywide "Back on Track" initiative. As a component of his Stanton Fellowship project, funded by the Durfree foundation, Mr. Sainz's "Back on Track" system and the exploration of new dropout reconnection models will seek to increase high school dropout recovery by incorporating community and local government agencies, and the public and private educational agencies.  

The goal of "Back on Track" is to build a high school dropout recovery system for the City of L.A. Preliminary efforts of the model include a Recovery and Reengagement pilot at two LAUSD high schools, which will be integrated in the "Back on Track" system once the first drop out recovery center opens this summer. In particular, the dropout recovery system's primary objective is to bring back many of the city's dropouts and reengage disconnected out-of-school youth. Additional objectives of the system include:

• Examining best practices around the country;
• Assembling a group of local system stakeholders;
• Pursue policy recommendations for City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, and Workforce Investment Board to establish this system; and
• Institutionalize "Back on Track" internally or externally of established agencies.

This effort has now received $12 million from the US Department of Labor to further the implementation of this initial planning process.  

_{[i] City of L.A. WIB Memo: DEVELOPMENT OF A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM DROPOUT RECOVERY STRATEGY}

_{[ii] CDD-LAUSD Memo to the Chief Academic Advisor for LAUSD, Robert Sainz}