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Nashville-Based Educational Services of America Partners With Metro Nashville Public Schools to Help Students Graduate

Posted on: Monday, 2 June 2008, 15:00 CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Educational Services of America (ESA) today announced the board of Metro Nashville Public Schools voted unanimously to authorize the school administration to contract with the company to help Metro students graduate from high school.

ESA's Ombudsman Educational Services offers personalized, computer- assisted learning for middle and high school students who would benefit from an alternative learning environment. ESA will open eight Ombudsman learning centers this fall to serve MNPS students in grades seven through 12 who have either dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of school.

"Students drop out of school for a variety of reasons," Mark Claypool, president and CEO of Nashville-based ESA, said. "Some students have to work to support their families. Some feel they are too far behind academically to catch up and others sometimes feel like they just don't fit in at their school.

"Ombudsman Educational Services provides students an alternate route to earn a high school diploma in a learning environment that's right for them," Claypool said. "For many students, the right environment includes personalized instruction in a small classroom setting with flexible schedules that accommodate their family and work responsibilities."

More than 120 school districts nationwide have engaged Ombudsman to help educate their at-risk students and improve graduation rates when school resumes this fall.

Metro Set Goal of 100 Percent Graduation

MNPS has established a goal of 100 percent graduation by 2014 and, to help meet this goal, the district is purchasing 480 Ombudsman seats. Ombudsman can serve more than 480 Metro students because, when a student graduates with an MNPS diploma or returns to his or her Metro school, that student's seat can be filled by another student at no additional cost to MNPS.

The three-year contract is valued at $2.5 million and is significantly less than what MNPS currently spends to educate at-risk students, Claypool said. The MNPS board May 27 voted to authorize the administration to contract with Ombudsman.

"This is a good opportunity for the district to intervene early when we see a student struggling," Ralph Thompson, MNPS assistant superintendent of student services, said. "We are optimistic that this new program will give students a chance to get on track before they fall so far behind they feel helpless."

The eight Ombudsman centers will be located at sites selected to easily serve every high school in the district, Claypool said. Ombudsman learning centers are typically located along bus routes so students can take public transportation. Exact locations will be announced later.

Accredited Program with History of Success

Ombudsman is accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, the same body that accredits Metro schools, and Ombudsman teachers are certified and meet federal No Child Left Behind and Highly Qualified teacher requirements.

"Ombudsman works," Claypool said. "Standardized tests over the past three school years illustrate that, on average, Ombudsman students achieve more than one academic year's growth in less than one year's time. And, as students achieve academic success, their behavior improves, their self-esteem improves, their overall perception of school improves and they have more opportunities for the future. We're very proud of our students' achievements.

"As a Nashville-based company, we're also very proud that our hometown Metro district is one of more than 240 school districts nationwide ESA will be serving with alternative and special education programs when school resumes in August," Claypool said.

According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Education, dropouts cost the American economy $260 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity in 2005.

Ombudsman has served more than 100,000 students in school districts throughout the country since 1975. Eighty-five percent of Ombudsman students return to their referring school, earn the academic credits they need, or graduate.

About Ombudsman Educational Services

Ombudsman Educational Services partners with school districts to provide an off-campus, alternative education program that offers highly personalized, computer-assisted learning for middle and high school students facing a variety of issues including truancy, credit or academic skill deficiencies, social and family challenges or learning/behavioral disorders. These issues frequently prevent them from succeeding in a traditional school setting. Ombudsman Educational Services is a division of Educational Services of America, the nation's leading provider of special and alternative education programs.

Ombudsman Educational Services has partnerships with more than 120 school districts across the country to operate programs this fall. Ombudsman Educational Services learning centers are typically located within the school district they serve, but away from the campuses to minimize social distractions and allow students to focus on their studies. For more information, visit http://www.ombudsman.com/ or http://www.esa-education.com/.

About Educational Services of America

Educational Services of America is the nation's leading provider of K-12 and post-secondary alternative and special education programs for students who are at risk of dropping out of school and for students with behavioral/learning disabilities.

ESA's leadership and staff are experts in educating children with special needs. ESA operates more than 130 schools and programs serving more than 240 school districts in numerous states and is listed among the Inc. 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. ESA provides highly personalized academic and behavioral services for students through the following divisions: College Living Experience, College Living Prep, Ombudsman Educational Services, ESA Exceptional Schools and Spectrum Center Schools. ESA is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

ESA is accredited by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA), an international alliance of premier accrediting organizations including the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Council on Occupational Education. For more information, visit http://www.esa-education.com/.

Educational Services of America

CONTACT: Jan Morrison, +1-615-297-7766, or jan@lovell.com, forEducational Services of America

Web site: http://www.esa-education.com/http://www.ombudsman.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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