Joplin graduation coach helps students overcome barriers to success

JOPLIN, Mo. — The goal is the diploma - and now there's a new way to boost Joplin students on their way to the real world.

"Miss Korra here, she actually came over to the high school and pulled me out of class. She said that the only way I'd be able to graduate is if I came to Flex so - it was very helpful and important that she got me there," said Brayden Hayward, JHS senior.

And that made all the difference for Brayden - who now can graduate ahead of time.

"It's all thanks to Korra Ackerson, Joplin High School's new graduation coach," said Hayward.

"I always say it's technically working with juniors and seniors that are at risk for not graduating. There are some sophomores on my caseload that I do check in with regularly, just to help prevent any barriers to keep students from graduating on time," said Korra Ackerson, JHS grad. coach.

Ackerson works with about 150 students, identifying challenges in their educational path and finding resources to help ease the way.

She says homelessness is often a factor.

"We work a lot with our homeless population here in the city of Joplin, so a lot of resources outside of school are a lot of the things I help with and outside of the classroom to make sure that we're successful," said Ackerson.

But she adds there's no one fix for every student on her list.

"There's absolutely no cookie cutter for those students that I'm working with. It's anything from helping a student get a vaccine, to helping a student get a backpack, to helping students re-enroll in classes, maybe that we failed in the past. The barriers that they face are very different, and each student is very specific in their needs," said Ackerson.

This is the first semester Korra has been on the job - and she's already seeing 78 December graduates completing their education.