The kids started believing that they could."
Some Brainerd High School students live in environments of gang violence, death threats and homelessness that can prevent regular school attendance. But teachers refuse to cast them aside.
“No child left behind,” said instructional coach Carol McCance. “Politicians don’t know what that means. This is what it means: you don’t leave a child behind if there is any way possible to get them through.”
As a result of the school’s efforts, graduation coach Dr. Mary Rausch said, Brainerd will see a 99 percent graduation rate among seniors regularly attending school this year.
Once the state configures the official graduation rate, including documentation over four years, she expects it to be about 80 percent, nearly 30 percent higher than the 2011-2012 school year. That’s also higher than the overall school district’s graduation rate of 72 percent.