Anabel Garza’s story is well-chronicled, the age-old tale of a principal trying to turn around an impoverished school with failing tests scores. In 2012, a book titled, “Saving the School: The True Story of a Principal, a Teacher, a Coach, a Bunch of Kids and a Year in the Crosshairs of Education Reform,” was written about her efforts. Yet Garza’s career didn’t end in 2012, and six years later, the school is still working towards its happy-ending.

After realizing modest improvements on tests scores over the past few years, going from 16 percent showing grade-level academic achievement on state exams in 2013 to 30 percent in 2017, the teaching staff has deepened their mission. Now their goal is to tackle life after high school—getting their students into college or other viable career pathways. However, with 84 percent of the 1,248 large student body categorized as economically disadvantaged, and with 34 percent of students being English Language Learners, Garza knows the odds are stacked against them.

To get these students “across the line” or to a level of satisfactory academic performance in an under-resourced school, Garza and her assistant principal, Kevin Garcia, have sought out various partnerships with businesses and nonprofits in the community.

These partnerships have helped them start a daycare center in the school, so young women who get pregnant don’t have to drop out. Sharing space with the daycare, two community nonprofits, project Advanced and Breakthrough, support the school by providing volunteers for a modest college and career center. In the center, students preparing for college seek help filling out FAFSA student aid applications and studying for college entrance exams.

Read the full article on preparing students for life after high school by Jenny Abamu at EdSurge