Recent discussions with principals indicate that many of the interventions presently in place at both the elementary and secondary level are having an impact. In 1998, the district initiated an evening school program to address the needs of high-risk students who were not functioning successfully in the mainstream. The students assigned to evening school are attending on a regular basis and passing their academic subjects. This program seems to be meeting the needs of a very diverse and needy group of students. The East Meadow program has expanded to grade 10 and has addressed both the behavioral and academic needs of most of the identified students.
Parent involvement is an essential part of the mentoring program.
At Clarke High School, the guidance counselors mentor at-risk students and students with weak academic skills are enrolled in a CORE academic program. In both cases, the middle school pupil personnel staff identifies students and contacts are made between mentor and mentee prior to the beginning of the ninth-grade. The academic performance and behavior of students involved in these programs have improved and the number of students referred for outside placement has declined. A-school continues to address the needs of a different group of students who were having difficulty in the mainstream. The majority of students in this program are able to complete their high school education, and some of them even go on to college.