Check & Connect: Global Reach Conference

Check & Connect’s 2024 Global Reach Conference , which will be held September 25-26, will bring together hundreds of educators, mentors, and trainers dedicated to boosting student engagement as schools continue to recover from the lingering effects of the pandemic.

August 16 is the final day to nominate an outstanding Check & Connect mentor or coordinator for recognition at the virtual and in-person event. The in-person event will be held at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.

Sessions will share practical tips for implementing the Check & Connect model, an intervention program for students who show warning signs of disengagement from school. The evidence-based intervention, developed at the University of Minnesota, has been used throughout the United States and many other countries to help lower dropout rates and increase student attendance. The program is part of the University’s Institute on Community Integration.

Keynote speakers Darnell Logan and Michael Pettis will present “Decades of Dedication: Harnessing Connections for Lasting Impact,” sharing their unique connection with each other and the intervention model. Logan, now a division director in the DeKalb County (Georgia) School District, is a University of Minnesota graduate who worked on Check & Connect as it was first developed and then implemented in the Minneapolis Public Schools in the mid-1990s. Throughout his career, Logan has championed the program in Georgia school districts where he worked.

“What is different about the program, and its key ingredient, is the relationship that develops between the mentor and the student,” Logan said. “And it’s not just taking a kid to the park to play ball. It’s a structured program that is focused on staying in school and improving students’ feelings about school and their school spirit. The people we’ve hired to do this work are dedicated to making a difference in these students’ lives.”

Sessions throughout the conference will offer strategies for newer adopters of the model and veteran programs looking to take their programs to the next level, said Ann Romine, a national trainer for Check & Connect who is co-chairing the conference with Sonya Eorio, who manages train-the-trainer opportunities.

“There is truly something for everyone, from school personnel wanting to learn how others got started to continued inspiration for folks implementing a long time,” Romine said. "There are also sessions geared to adapting the program for specific subgroups, such as youth in foster care or juvenile justice and those transitioning back from an alternative setting."

Two presenters from St. Louis County, a large Minnesota county that includes Duluth, will share lessons learned as they implemented Check & Connect in both elementary and high schools across the county.

Lisa Perkovich and Sarah Lualunen will share detailed strategies they’ve used to train mentors on how to reach students and motivate them to connect with their academic goals.

“We’ll drill down on what is the function of the behavior of the student we’re working with and understanding that mental health lens,” said Lualunen, Check & Connect coordinator for the Duluth School District.

“Check & Connect is showing amazing results in our district, including the fact that 100 percent of our seniors in the program graduated last year,” she said. “We’re building capacity in students so that they are making decisions for themselves. That intrinsic motivation is making these students become successful, amazing young adults.”

In another conference session, they will share ideas for maintaining high standards for implementing the intervention model in various settings and for working closely with families to achieve better results.

“We’re hoping to build a grassroots professional learning community that can meet virtually to support each other and share ideas,” Perkovich said.