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March 19, 2008

Save ONE Lowell's anti-truancy program

Since its inception in 2001, ONE Lowell has helped tens of hundreds of immigrants get settled, learn English and begin job training while launching the newcomers on a path toward becoming U.S. citizens.

The group's mission is to make immigrants feel a part of their new community, quickly, so that they can become self-sufficient and productive.

Over the years, the advocacy group has taught immigrants the value of participating in local events and the governmental process. More than 1,000 have become citizens and are registered to vote.

For several years now, ONE Lowell has expanded its services to work with the city's School Department on an anti-truancy program in the immigrant-minority community. That program recently came under fire from two members of the Lowell School Committee who felt ONE Lowell wasn't doing enough to document its caseload and results. Two school board members even suggested that the program be suspended. That would be a big mistake.

ONE Lowell provides a nonprofit service that would be extremely hard to duplicate in the public sector because of a lack of funding. As it is, ONE Lowell relies on $218,000 in state and federal funds, plus private donations, to operate its anti-truancy program.

According to Victoria Fahlberg, the group's executive director, ONE Lowell works closely with school principals to keep them informed of progress being made with individual students and their non-English speaking parents. Last year, the group worked with 218 students/families to get the kids back on track and attending school regularly. Data show the efforts were successful in the 60 percent to 70 percent range on a month-to-month basis.
So far this year, ONE Lowell has worked with 130 students/families, although the overall caseload varies as students are added or eliminated as improvements are made. As of Jan. 31, 71 percent of students had improved their attendance performance, a marked increase over the prior year.

Fahlberg said ONE Lowell is required to deliver comprehensive annual reports to both state and federal agencies to meet funding obligations. She said she'd gladly oblige the School Committee with regular reports if that is the members' desire.

We don't want this to become a turf fight in which a nonprofit agency with limited resources is forced to create unnecessary paperwork just to satisfy its existence. That said, accountability is important, and we urge the School Committee and ONE Lowell to develop a reasonable reporting method that won't reduce the program's effectiveness.

The anti-truancy program has received high praise from middle-school principals who have witnessed improved attendance. It should continue.

Posted by Admin at March 19, 2008 11:24 AM