The learning hub takes place in the high school cafeteria. He wants to be an audio engineer.
NPR has a person named Cornell Watson.
The fall colors in the trees are glowing as the sun sets over the Grimsley High School campus in North Carolina.
Dreshon Robinson is a sophomore. He would like to be a music engineer. He likes Bruno Mars. He is working in a restaurant. He comes to Grimsley High school after school on Mondays through Thursdays.
There are certified teachers here who can help with any subject. On Tuesdays and Thursdays there's a bus that will take you home with free dinner.
"If I need help with my schoolwork, I can get it from the teachers in there," Dre says. I never get behind. I'm not one for catching up.
A place for students and the district to catch up.
Like districts all over the country, the large system of more than 70,000 students in the north-central part of the state is catching up.
They have seen a decline in test scores after months of learning and living with the Pandemic. Many high school students started working when their parents lost their jobs. Some people are working two jobs.
Dreshon works from 6:30 to 10 p.m. five days a week. He dedicates time to friends or family when he's home. I don't do school work at home.
Sierra Hanapole is the teacher that Dreshon Robinson likes the most. She has a good character. She's cool. She's not one of those teachers who freak out.
NPR has a person named Cornell Watson.
Last school year, a version of these learning hubs was opened by the county. They were there to give students access to computers and broadband internet, which was not available in many families at the start of the Pandemic.
The hubs were funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. The grants cover the cost of transportation, meals, and incentives for students who stick with their commitment to attend.
The hubs opened across the district. Some schools have Saturday sessions. The district is hoping to grow the number of students who show up at least once.
The hub at Grimsley has had to move because of the spread of word.
The teachers recommend students who are behind to the hub. "We have got a lot of kids who would have tapped out at this point in the year," says Grimsley's assistant principal, who oversees the hub.
I don't want to fall behind again.
Dreshon Robinson is a sophomore.
When students see low grades on their report cards, they realize that it's a no-win situation. They fade back. There is a decrease in attendance. They are turning less work in. Grades go down.
That could have been Dreshon Robinson. He lost 15 days to COVID.
Sierra Hannipole says thatBiology is hard to teach from a computer. There was a struggle to get him back up. It's unfair to him because he tries.
Science students at Grimsley High School have seen their grades improve according to Sierra Hannipole.
NPR has a person named Cornell Watson.
"I don't want to fall behind again because it's really hard," Dreshon says.
You come in, and everyone is like, 'Oh, Dre's back!' Then you ask, 'What are we doing?' We are doing this. I'm not sure. I don't know what it is.
Hannipole says that Dreshon is more proactive since he started attending the hub. I have noticed that he has a stronger level of accountability.
A place where teachers can build stronger relationships.
The cafeteria has high ceilings and windows. The mood inside is calm and friendly. Students are sitting with their friends, but they're still on task. Some high achieving students on the school's International Baccalaureate track have been showing up to help their friends.
Schools across the country are reporting record levels of staff burnout. The hub model relies on teachers volunteering to work longer hours, not to mention counselors, custodians, and the bus drivers.
On the evening of our visit, the children join him for the school dinner. His wife is an assistant principal at another school.
Sierra Hannipole is helping Dreshon Robinson with biology. The hub is open for students after school. Students can get help with their schoolwork. There is also free food.
NPR has a person named Cornell Watson.
He says that they have to make sure that they practice what they preach. He reminds teachers that volunteering will help the students. If you can give your kids an hour, it will be more beneficial to them.
Tajae Pryce is a teacher at Grimsley.
Our kids have been through trauma and we can't imagine it.
Tajae Pryce is a teacher.
He says students have always benefited from one-on-one and small groups. It has been great to have the time to do that.
Better relationships with his students is the big payoff for Pryce. "I've met kids who have never spoken in class before, who hadn't had that confidence before or made a connection because of lack of time," he says. Grimsley High School is a model of what we could be doing. It's been a success.
Counselors and social workers come to the hub for students who need someone to talk to.
Our kids have been through trauma that we can't imagine. Pryce doesn't count the disease, but the economic effects. I have kids whose parents have lost jobs and who are working to help out. Kids are impacted by crime in our community. This is a good place for them to be.
There will be more flexible options in the future.
In the spring of 2021, with the help of Saturday learning hubs, increased flexibility from the state, and a summer quarter, the high school graduation rate in Guilford County was 91.4 percent. In that district, nearly two-thirds of students are living in poverty.
When they came back in person, Sharon said they didn't want to leave any student behind.
Schools have come up with new solutions because of the Pandemic. Sierra Hannipole is a teacher at Grimsley High school.
NPR has a person named Cornell Watson.
We did home visits. Everyone knocked on doors. She said they visited shelters. We did not know if the students were okay, and we were worried that we couldn't place our eyes on them. They were suffering academically. There are many other concerns that go beyond academic concerns. We knocked on doors and said it was safe to come back to school.
The future of these hubs is a vision that is held by Contreras. She would like to offer more flexible scheduling for students who need to work to support their families. They could get their main course credits at hubs before and after regular school hours.
She would like to pay students directly for attending the hub. Some of the old practices that weren't beneficial for students were considered as part of the silver lining of the Pandemic.
The learning hub is giving Dreshon Robinson new skills to handle his schoolwork.
He says that studying is not good. You're like, 'I don't know how to study' when you get to high school. They help you when you go to the learning hub.
He is happy to be back at school. He wants to go to college.
