It’s easy to assume that everyone will go through the K–12 education process and celebrate on graduation day with a high school diploma in hand. But that’s not reality for a significant number of students across the United States, and particularly in Baltimore, who find themselves unable to complete their education. The reasons can be as unique as each student, but they typically fall into one or more of these four areas:
- Socioeconomic Challenges: Economic disparities can play a big role in a student’s ability to stay in school. Students from low-income families often face many obstacles. They might feel the need to contribute to the family income, leading them to drop out of school to prioritize work.
- Lack of Support: Lack of support from both family and school further creates academic challenges for some students. Without adequate resources and personalized assistance, students can feel lost and struggle to overcome academic hurdles on their own.
- Social Pressures and Mental Health: High school can be socially challenging due to peer pressure, bullying, and mental health issues. Students may have a hard time navigating both the social and educational landscape. Their overall well-being and academic performance can suffer as a result of those difficulties.
- Family Responsibilities: Some students become parents while they’re in school. Balancing the responsibilities of parenting and academics can be extremely difficult. The need to provide for a family may lead some teenage parents to put their education on hold.
An estimated 80,000 Baltimore-area adults have dropped out of high school. The city faces many of the problems that fuel that dropout rate, such as socioeconomic disparities, lack of access to quality education, and other forms of adversity. However, thanks to Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Baltimore has a new resource for adults who want a second chance to get their high school diploma: the Goodwill Excel Center.
Located in the heart of downtown Baltimore, the Excel Center is a school offering a streamlined academic program for working adults and parents, free of charge to the student. It provides comprehensive support and resources so students can complete their education and earn an official Maryland high school diploma. Goodwill life coaches help Excel Center students decide if they want to pursue college enrollment or other forms of post-secondary skills training so they can pursue careers in their desired profession or industry.
While adults without a high school diploma earn 70% less than their graduate counterparts, Goodwill Excel Center programs in other cities have seen 70% of their graduates enroll in college or become employed within six months after graduation, with 39% having increased their earnings compared to those without a diploma. The Excel Center empowers individuals to rewrite their educational stories, pursue missed opportunities, and build a better life.
