Why Give?

Please make a gift today and become part of the Student Advocacy Center family. Our children can’t wait.

Our supporters know that education is a right. It transforms individual students, families and communities. You can be a part of a student’s story today. You can help build stronger schools and futures.

The Need

4%

Four percent of Michigan teens ages 16 to 19 are not in school (Kids Count).

6

Every day, six Michigan students are expelled from school and many more are suspended.

3x

Black students are suspended and expelled at a rate three times greater than white students (Civil Rights Data Collection).

2x

Students with disabilities are twice as likely to receive an out-of-school suspension as their non-disabled peers (Civil Rights Data Collection).

3-4%

Michigan suspends 3 to 4 percent of its elementary students (Huffington Post).

10-12%

Michigan suspends 10 to 12 percent of its secondary students (Huffington Post).

3x

Students suspended or expelled for a discretionary violation are nearly three times as likely to be in contact with the juvenile justice system the following year (Council of State Governments’ Justice Center, 2011).

$1.5 trillion

Economists estimate that dropouts will cost our nation $1.5 trillion over the next decade; individual dropouts will earn $10,000 less per year than high school graduates (Alliance for Excellent Education and U.S. Department of Labor).

* Source: John W. Gardner Center, 2010; Gottfried, 2010; Sundius & Farneth, 2008b; Smink & Reimer, 2005.

Invest in the Student Advocacy Center because…

There is no other organization like us in the state of Michigan.
The Student Advocacy Center is a unique organization with a proud 40-year history of helping vulnerable students stay in school or get back into school.

We focus on education, the most important investment in our future.
There is a return of $1.45-$3.55 for every dollar invested in producing a new graduate (New York Times, 2012).

We help the students in our community who need it the most.
We work with students experiencing foster care, homelessness, mental illness, abuse and neglect, juvenile justice involvement, and harsh discipline. We use research-based indicators to determine who is eligible for our services.

We see results.
We are focused on outcomes, tracking research-based indicators such as attendance, grades and disciplinary referrals.

We know every student’s voice matters.
We deeply value and elevate student and family voices and meaningful student decision-making. True school reform will not happen without parents and students advocating for themselves.

We work for systemic change. 
Too often, students (and parents) are blamed for school problems. Solutions are designed to “fix” students. We recognize the complexity of dropping out and the role systems, policies and procedures play in pushing out the students who need caring adults the most.