IN THIS ISSUE:

News

Twelve More Georgia School Districts Choose Ombudsman

New Ombudsman Program Addresses Special Needs Students

Districts Continue to Give High Marks

 

Student Essays and Profiles

Doing What It Takes to Make the Grade

 

Updates

Team Member Receives Certification

Ombudsman Sites Earn Accreditation

 

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NEWS 

 

 

Twelve More Georgia School Districts Choose Ombudsman

 

Ombudsman will be serving more Georgia students when school resumes this fall. We have established partnerships with 12 new school districts within the last four months, bringing the total number of Georgia school district partners to 20. Leaders of these districts say they believe the relationship with Ombudsman will be good for their students and for the communities.

 

“We are looking forward to our partnership with Ombudsman,” Appling County Schools System Assistant Superintendent Rick Townsend said. “This partnership will help us provide for our students who are not succeeding in a traditional classroom setting and help Appling County increase its graduation rate.”

 

Donna Ryan, Assistant Superintendent of Special Services and Assessment for Marietta City Schools agreed. “The collaboration will provide students with a program suited to meet their unique needs.”

 

In addition, Ombudsman will help districts meet crucial state standards.

 

“Ombudsman will provide what Cobb County needs in an alternative education program, including personalized attention, individualized learning plans, a safe and secure environment, a low student-teacher ratio and a flexible student schedule to meet the needs of students, their families, and the district,” Cobb County Superintendent Fred Sanderson said. “It will also provide a technology-based learning environment and curriculum that meets Georgia Performance Standards.”

 

The twelve new school districts include:

Appling County School System

Camden County Schools

Pierce County School District

Tattnall County School District

Ware County School System

Walker County Schools

Cartersville City School System

Cobb County School District

Marietta City Schools

Glynn County Schools

McDuffie County School District

Paulding County School District

 

"Ombudsman Educational Services provides students an alternate route to earn a high school diploma in a learning environment that's right for them," Mark Claypool, president and CEO of Educational Services of America, parent company of Ombudsman, 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 for the 2008-2009 school year.

 

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New Ombudsman Program Addresses Special Needs Students

Many students have learning disabilities and other special needs that school districts must address. Ombudsman can help districts meet these needs with a new, expanded program called Ombudsman Plus.  

Waukegan Public School District 60 in Waukegan, Ill., will launch Ombudsman Plus this fall. Ombudsman Plus provides students who have IEPs or need additional support all the benefits of Ombudsman - plus access to a behavioral therapist and a social worker to help address behavioral and emotional issues. “By providing this additional staff, we can offer students in the Waukegan program a well-rounded program that can meet the specific needs of their IEP or need for additional support,” said Emily Langfeldt, assistant vice president of operations at Ombudsman.

In addition to the expanded services, the class day is expanded to six-and-a-half hours from the traditional four. To find out more about the Ombudsman Plus program you can call 800-833-9235 or contact an ESA sales person in your area.

Ombudsman continues to grow in Illinois, where Lyons Township has also established a partnership for the upcoming school year.

 

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Districts Continue to Give Ombudsman High Marks

 

Every year, Ombudsman conducts an annual survey of the districts it partners with to learn how the organization is doing in delivering its program. The survey consists of 12 questions covering communications, reporting, academic progress, student and district satisfaction. This year’s feedback will help drive the continuous improvement process within Ombudsman for the upcoming year.

 

Here are some of the results:

 

83% of districts surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that their students felt Ombudsman offered a positive experience;

            

87% agreed or strongly agreed that Ombudsman met the needs of their district and their students;

           

93% said that they would recommend Ombudsman to other districts; 

 

93% said that they were pleased with the Ombudsman program.

           

 

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STUDENT ESSAYS

 

 

Doing What it Takes to Make the Grade

 

When I was a sophomore at Miami Killian Senior High, I tried out for a Disney series called “Corey in the House.” Getting a role meant a lot to me because I love the entertainment business.  I knew if I ever had the chance to prove myself I would get the job. The following day I waited by the phone for my acceptance call. When it finally came, I was ecstatic. They talked to my mom for awhile and then it was time for my mom to talk to me. My mom said, “Nikita, they loved the commercial you did. They think you’re very talented.  They said they could tell how much you wanted this just by looking in your eyes. You have the passion and the talent for this business.” I was smiling inside and out. “But your GPA is too low. In order to participate you need to have a GPA of at least a 3.0 or higher.” I was crushed and disappointed.  I never thought that something like grades would have such a big effect on my dreams, but they did. So on that day, I promised myself that I would never let anything like that hold me back from my dreams ever again.

 

In my junior year, I told my counselor I would do whatever it takes to make up my missing credits and improve my grades. She explained that Killian had a new program called Killian2 (OES - Killian Center). I was a bit skeptical at first. The idea of going to a different school outside of Killian seemed ridiculous. It sounded like I needed to be isolated from regular school and put in a special place to receive special attention. But I read the brochure that my counselor gave me and talked it over with my parents and came to the conclusion that Killian2 was right for me.

 

While participating in the Ombudsman program my junior year, I was able to makeup all my missing credits and boost my GPA up to a 2.5. I was so pleased with myself and my grades that I decided to come back to Killian2 for my senior year.

 

This year I received two invitations to enter a scholarship raffle.  On May 1, 2008, I’m attending an awards banquet to receive an award, along with a handful of other Killian students. I was also able to complete my community service requirements and my GPA is now at 2.9. In the fall I’m going to Florida International University to major in business. I’m so proud of myself and I owe a lot of it to this program. I want to thank the originators of this program. I would also like to thank the principal of Killian for bringing the Ombudsman program to Miami Killian. And last but not least, I would like to thank all the teachers at the Killian2 center for your contributions to my success.  I just pray that the many generations to come are able to reap the many benefits of this program as I have.

 

Nikita Whitely is a 12^th grader who recently received a scholastic award from Killian High School's Parent Teacher and Student's Association. Nikita also received scholarship monies to attend college. 

 

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UPDATES 

 

 

Team Member Receives Certification 

 

Sue Fila, Ombudsman assistant vice president of operations, is a Certified School Improvement Specialist. She recently completed her graduate certificate program through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges to earn this important certification. 

 

Participants in the program are trained in such areas as research techniques, accreditation preparation and how to develop a strong team.

 

“Accreditation and continuous school improvement are a critical component of Ombudsman’s success. Making sure each learning center meets accreditation standards is essential to our ability to provide quality services to all our district partners,” Allison O’Neill, Ombudsman vice president of operations, said. Fila received her certificate at a recent awards ceremony during the annual NCA Conference in Chicago. She will continue to oversee the School Improvement and Accreditation processes for Ombudsman.

 

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More Ombudsman Sites Earn Accreditation

 

Accreditation is an important component of the Ombudsman quality process. Accreditation ensures that our programs meet standards for academic excellence and are uniform in terms of quality.  One of the benefits of accreditation is it continues to help sharpen our focus on improving student performance. The list of Ombudsman sites being accredited and receiving approval as candidates for accreditation continues to grow.

 

 

New Ombudsman centers are approved as candidates following an application process in their first year of operation. Then, in the center’s second or third year of operation, CITA (Commission of Trans-Regional Accreditation) performs an on-site evaluation and the centers are recommended for accreditation, which is granted by a vote of CITA board members. Reaccreditation occurs every five years. Centers also receive regional accreditation from SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), NCA (North Central Association of Colleges and Schools) and MSCES (Middle States Association/Commission on Elementary Schools) at the same time they receive their CITA accreditation.

 

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