Camilla’s school district had exactly what she needed: A program that offered the flexibility and support that would be vital to getting the single, working, teenaged mother to graduation day. And Camilla was ready for it: Like most individuals who leave school before graduation, she desperately wanted to come back, but she just didn’t know how.

There was just one problem: Camilla’s district couldn’t find her. Her number had been disconnected and she remained estranged from her parents.

An inability to find former students doesn’t just hamper dropout recovery efforts. It also impacts the collection of qualitative and quantitative data from graduates that can be essential for understanding long-term outcomes. Fortunately, both of these objectives can be fulfilled by taking a few easy steps toward building stronger student connectivity.

We’re pleased to announce that Camilla’s doing great. When her school district finally tracked her down, she jumped at the chance to re-enroll — and not only did she reach her graduation goal, but she went on to become a nurse.

We love helping school leaders create stories like this. And that’s why we’re pleased to offer our latest guide “Building Connections for Long-term Student Engagement,” which proposes eight practices that can help schools stay better connected to disengaged students and graduates alike. For a free copy, click here.