The Ombudsman program is an alternative education route for students in middle and secondary school. These students are at risk of dropping out of school or failing to graduate because of too many absences, academic challenges or adult responsibilities. The program offers 115 centers nationwide where students can attend full-time classes. Locations include Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois and Pennsylvania. If Ombudsman doesn't have a center in your area, the program can work with your school district to offer alternative education services.
KIPP is a national network of free, open-enrollment public schools that help students prepare for college. Children from under-served communities can reach success with 99 KIPP public schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia that enroll almost 27,000 students per year.
KIPP enrolls all interested students, space permitting, without considering prior academics or conduct. The program has 24 pre-K through elementary schools, 60 middle schools and 15 high schools nationwide. KIPP reports that more than 85 percent of its high school alumni go on to pursue higher education.
The U.S. Department of Labor administers Job Corps centers that offer free education and training programs nationwide. Students can earn a high school diploma and receive training to find and keep a good job. Job Corps trains more than 100,000 students from ages 16 to 24 at 124 centers. Some students live at home, while others find the on-site living environment preferable. Once students reach their high school goals, Job Corps can train them in more than 100 technical career fields, help them find entry-level work and offer them the life skills they'll need to be successful for years to come.
JAG programs have served more than 750,000 students since opening its doors in 1980. JAG runs centers in more than 32 states and has programs in more than 800 middle schools, high schools, community-based organizations and community colleges across the country. A major goal of these programs is to keep at-risk students in middle and high school and to help them pursue post-secondary education. JAG does this with middle school programs for sixth- to eighth-graders, alternative education programs for high school students, senior programs aimed at 12th-graders, programs for dropouts and early college programs. JAG reported a 94.4 percent graduation rate in 2009.