1. Bartow CONNECT: Teachers-as-Advisors Program
Graduation and Beyond…Creating Lifelong Learners

2. Superintendent’s Charge…
To implement Teachers-As-Advisors Program in all secondary schools
“Non-negotiable”
To address the “hemorrhaging” graduation rate
60.6% (2006)

3. Focus… Bartow CONNECT Relationships – Advisement Program
Rigor – Georgia Performance Standards
Relevance – Real world applications & Career pathways

4. Goals… Turn-key product Scripted lesson plans for advisors
National Career Development Guidelines
Not “something else for teachers to do”
30 minutes per week

5. Training… HSTW Advisement Workshop GaDOE Training
Presentations to all middle and high school staffs
On-going professional development for advisement teams
Curriculum Development

6. Administrative Resistance
Middle School Principals
Did not see relevance of beginning advisement in middle grades
No time to “train” staff
No time in schedule
High School Principals
Only one high school already had an advisement program in place

9. Development of Resources…
First year’s time frame…
Feedback
Different grade levels have different needs
Not enough “hands-on” activities
Need more discussion opportunities
Counselors/Advisement Coordinators
Grade specific topics
NCDG Domains
Character Education

10. Curriculum Revisions
Approximately 40 scripted lesson plans per grade level
Grade-Specific Resource Binders
Academic
Career
Personal/Social
Character Education
Other: school rules, procedures, extracurricular
CD Resource
Sequence of lessons

13. Alignment to Georgia Standards

15. Types of Lessons
Teachers
Students

16. Staff Responses

21. Student Responses

25. Success stories…
An Assistant Principal being introduced in the community as “my advisor” rather than the school administrator.
Faculty getting to know students better especially those that they do not teach.
Woodland High School advisors present diplomas to their advisees during graduation ceremony.
Administrators serving as advisors and letting students see them in another role.
9th Grade Advisor’s story of no failures.

26. Director of Secondary Instruction
Contact Information
Dr. John Barge
Director of Secondary Instruction
Melissa H. Williams
CTAE Coordinator
Bartow County Schools
65 Gilreath Road
Cartersville, Georgia 30120