IntroductionThe Steps to Success initiative is a partnership between Tucson Unified School District and the City of Tucson Office of the Mayor to seek out and retrieve students who have dropped out of Tucson Unified School District. Through home visits, this partnership has allowed educational staff, city officials, and community members to visit with students and their families and encourage them to come back and finish their high school education.
Since July 2014, we've held at least two walks each year to retrieve identified students in grades seven through twelve. We specifically seek out students who, according the Arizona Department of Education, are classified as educational "Status Unknown." We attempt to contact each family with a message of community support and academic assistance, in hopes the student will return to school. To date, over 390 students have been enrolled through Steps to Success, and over 65 students have graduated.