Fall 2015 Student Advisory Board Meeting

October 8 & 9, 2015

The Fall 2015 SAB meeting will be held in Great Falls, MT. More information to come. Contact graduationmatters@mt.gov with questions

2015 Spring Student Advisory Board Summit

April 16-17

A public agenda will be provided, closer to the date of the summit.

Montana College Access Network conference

April 8-10

This year, the Montana Association of State Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) are collaborating with MCAN and ASPIRE to deliver an excellent conference that will be of value to anyone who cares about helping more Montana students access and succeed in postsecondary education. The draft agenda and regisration can be accessed at www.mtcollegeaccess.org.

Graduation Matters Montana Community Day at the Capitol

March 27, 2015

Save the date! More information to come.

Hearing on SB 14 - Raise the legal dropout age to "age 18 or upon graduation"

January 21, 2015

What SB 14 does: 

This bill raises the legal drop out age from "age 16" to “age 18 or upon graduation”. The bill also allows flexibility for students from the compulsory attendance requirement in order to allow them to pursue a GED, enroll in postsecondary education or an apprenticeship, or to attend Montana Job Corps or Youth Challenge. It exempts students who are home schooled.

Hearing on SB 12 - Provide Funding to Educate 19-Year-Olds

January 21, 2015

What SB 12 does:                                                                                                                                                  This bill amends the definition of “pupil” to include students, who are 19 years of age or older and admitted to a school at the discretion of the trustees, in the Average Number Belonging (ANB) calculations.

Investing in student success while they are still enrolled in school makes sense, as the number of students who drop out and say they will pursue a GED is much higher than the number of students who actually receive a GED. The wages and tax contributions of a high school graduate are substantially higher over the life time of a graduate compared to a high school dropout.

2014 Fall Student Advisory Board Summit

October 9 & 10

The Student Advisory Board is part of the Graduation Matters Montana initiative. It provides a much needed student perspective on state policy and helps guide the K-12 education system into the future. On October 9 & 10 the 38 members of the board will gather to discuss the Graduation Matters Montana initiative.

2014 Graduation Matters Montana Summer Summit

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Summer Summit will be held in conjunction with the MT Behavioral Initiative (MBI) Institute at Montana State University Campus in Bozeman.

We look forward to seeing GMM teams from over 35 communities representing 2014 GMM grantees and existing GMM communities. You do not have to be a recent grantee to participate in the Summit.  We require all grantees to send a team of no less than three school and community partners, and hope that all existing GMM communities will join our discussions that day. The GMM Summer Summit will be a time for us to share ideas, co-strategize and celebrate.

Due to such great response last year, we will again produce GradTalks from 3:00pm – 4:00pm during the Summit on June 17.  We are also encouraging folks who plan to attend the MBI Institute to register for The College Journey, a session on working with first-generation college goers, scheduled for 1:00pm – 4:00pm on Wednesday, June 18, 2014.

To register for the GMM Summer Summit visit the MBI registration website. All the directions for registration can be found here.

Graduation Matters Wolfpoint Kickoff Celebration

March 24th

Wolfpoint Schools will kick off their Graduation Matters Wolfpoint Initiative!

Graduation Matters Montana Challenge Fund Grant announcements

March 12, 2014

On March 12, Superintendent Juneau announced the award of 35 grants to Montana schools and United Ways to increase the number of Montana students who graduate from high school prepared for college and careers, for a total of $203,000 to support local Graduation Matters initiatives across the state. This is up from 25 grants totaling $165,000 in 2013. The Office of Public Instruction was awarded $450,000 over three years from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation to support community-based Graduation Matters initiatives. In addition, State Farm Insurance ($10,000), Steele Reese Foundation ($20,000), AT&T ($20,000) and the Going to the Sun Rally Foundation ($3,000) provided funding to add to this year’s Graduation Matters Montana Challenge Fund grants.

Announcement of GMM and SAF Grant

December 6, 2012

Superintendent Juneau and Kelly Cresswell, vice president of Foundation Activities at Student Assistance Foundation (SAF), will announce the 10 Graduation Matters communities who will be receiving $50,000 in grants from the Graduation Matters Montana Student Assistance Foundation College Readiness Fund. Each community will receive $5,000.

Graduation Matters Townsend, MT

November 30, 2012

GM Townsend holds a family-community I Pledge to Graduate event.

Graduation Matters Hardin, MT

November 6, 2012

GM Hardin launches 2012 GMM with a family and community evening celebration and I Pledge to Graduate event.

Graduation Matters Box Elder, MT

November 1, 2012

GM Box Elder holds a school-wide I Pledge to Graduate event.

Graduation Matters Thompson Falls, MT

October 22, 2012

GM Thompson Falls launches GMM with the Harlem Globetrotter’s Harlem Ambassador’s talking about the importance of setting high expectations and hosting a faculty basketball game for the community.

Graduation Matters Missoula, MT

October 16, 2012

GM Missoula hosts community at a morning walkabout on their new Health Sciences Academy.

Graduation Matters Anaconda, MT

October 10, 2012

GM Anaconda launches 2012 GMM with an outdoor town center rally that includes community leaders presenting why high school graduation matters to them and all students K-12 take the Pledge to Graduate.

Graduation Matters Lame Deer, MT

October 8, 2012

GM Lame Deer hosts OPI staff during their professional development day on a two-hour GMM presentation via Vision Net.

GM Great Falls launches 2012 GMM

September 27, 2012

A highlight includes 138 empty desks representing the number of students who dropped out last year, and the City Council passes a resolution supporting Graduation Matters Great Falls.