NM GRADS: Lessons Learned from Implementing a School-Based Program for Young Parents Across New Mexico
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NM GRADS: Lessons Learned from Implementing a School‑Based Program for Young Parents Across New Mexico Jessica Harper1 · Dean Hopper1 · Betsy Keating2 · Jessica Harding2
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Purpose The New Mexico Graduation Reality and Dual-role Skills (GRADS) program provides services for expectant and parenting students at high schools. The GRADS program has operated since 1989, serving more than 17,000 youth. This study summarizes the GRADS program model and program administrators’ lessons learned from implementing this comprehensive, large-scale program. Description The GRADS program is a multicomponent intervention that can include a classroom intervention, case management, linkages to child care and health care, and support for young fathers. The program aims to support expectant and parenting youth in finishing high school, delaying a repeat pregnancy, promoting health outcomes for their children, and preparing for college and career. This study presents program administrators’ lessons learned to increase understanding of how to implement a statewide program to support expectant and parenting students. Assessment During the 2010–2017 school years, the GRADS program operated in 26–31 sites each year, serving a total of 2691 parenting youth. Program administrators identified lessons learned from implementing the GRADS program during that period of expansion, including allowing variation across sites based on resources and needs, providing centralized implementation support, fostering buy-in from school and district leaders, and collecting consistent data to better understand participant outcomes. Conclusions Although not based on a rigorous impact or implementation study, this article provides lessons learned from a statewide, school-based program that may be a promising way to serve a large number of expectant and parenting youth and help them overcome challenges for completing high school. Keywords School-based supports · Young parents · Expectant and parenting students · Graduation rates · Repeat birth · Repeat pregnancy · Teen parents
Significance What is already known on this subject? Some school-based programs implemented across a small set of schools have been found to be effective in promoting outcomes for expectant and parenting youth. What this study adds? This article provides lessons learned from statewide implementation of a potentially promising school-based program to support expectant and
* Jessica Harper [email protected] 1
New Mexico Public Education Department, 120 South Federal Place, Room 206, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
Mathematica, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA
2
parenting youth. Although this paper does not assess the effectiveness of the program, it illuminates important information for researchers and practitioners about a program that is flexible in addressing the range of multifaceted needs of expectant and parenting youth.
Purpose Although the national teen birth rate has decreased significantly over the past several de
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