Ombudsman: An Alternate Route

Ombudsman Educational Services, a program that offers a second chance for students who have been expelled, have serious attendance issues or would benefit from an alternative learning environment, announced last month its expansion in several counties in Georgia, which has the nation’s second-highest drop-out rate.

Ombudsman Educational Services partners with school districts to provide an off-campus, alternative education program that offers personalized, computer-assisted learning for middle- and high-school students facing a variety of issues including truancy, credit or academic skill deficiencies, social and family challenges or learning/behavioral disabilities.

Ombudsman will provide alternative education programs to Effingham County, Coffee County, Toombs County and Jeff Davis County school systems beginning this fall. The new contracts will increase the total number of programs in Georgia to eight, including three existing programs in Liberty, Vidalia and Bulloch counties.

Each new location will serve at least 45 at-risk students in grades six through 12. The programs will be located off campus to minimize distraction and facilitate individual attention. Students who attend the Ombudsman program remain students of their home school district.

Through the expansion of these programs, Ombudsman seeks to help the state improve its drop-out rate, which is the second-highest in the country, according to the 2007 Kids Count data book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private foundation that works to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families.

“We believe all students can advance given the right type of instruction, encouragement and environment, and we believe in the power of a high school diploma,” said Mark Claypool, president and chief executive officer of Educational Services of America, which operates Ombudsman. “We look forward to expanding our presence in Georgia and working with our partner school systems to help all students earn a high school diploma.”

Ombudsman reports an 85 percent success rate among its national student body, meaning students graduate, earn credits or return to their school closer to or on grade level. Since 1975, Ombudsman has served more than 100,000 at-risk and special needs students. The program currently serves 6,000 students annually at 82 locations in 16 states.