Tara Spates

The Graduation Coach: Money Does Not Improve Schools; People Do. Tara Spates

Publisher Marketing: I have always been a bit outspoken; I like to think of myself as just being direct. I must justifiably state that my actions were, in part, due to my distaste for unfair treatment of people and hypocrisy. I moved to a small town in Georgia from a city up north, and the culture shock in itself was dramatic. For instance, upon speaking out at a board of education meeting about the lack of student academic achievement, I discovered parents were in an uproar over cheerleading. Huh! This is in a town where sports often meant more than a good education; that is, of course, until the season is over. But I digress. After this meeting, one of the assistant superintendents approached me and asked if I would consider representing the district at a state meeting and provide a parent's perspective. Of course, I said yes. This is the point in which God opens the door; I rode to the meeting with a faculty member, and during the two-hour drive, we both became aware that my new landlord was her father. Well, that gave us a lot to talk about, and ultimately, she became my manager in a position where I would be required to help students remain in school and graduate. This was familiar and fulfilling ground for me because I had just closed my NJ business, a business in which I worked with at-risk students. I must love young people because my salary was slashed by 65 percent, but I saw it as a door to a new career. Honestly, I needed an income since I no longer had my business, and helping others was something I enjoyed doing. I was in the midst of obtaining my BS degree in Psychology, and this position would give me another level of hands-on experience so that I could move into individual counseling once I completed school with my master's degree.