A campaign to entice high school dropouts back to Minneapolis public schools has found some unexpected takers: the twenty-something siblings of the targeted teens -- and even their parents.

Whether they are more mature or just grasp the need for a diploma in today's economy, older dropouts have eagerly accepted the district's offers to return this fall and to graduate under the "We Want You Back'' campaign.

"This might be the age group that is really ready to hear it," said Mary Barrie, who coordinates alternative learning programs for the Minneapolis public schools.

School officials expect even more adult dropouts to reenroll after this Saturday's door-knocking event in Minneapolis, at which 1,000 volunteers will appeal to as many as 2,000 dropouts. The goal of the event is to reenroll 200 students.

For the district, the campaign offers an opportunity to cut a dropout rate that has been a subject of dispute, controversy and even gubernatorial politics. For dropouts, it's a second chance to gain the education necessary to survive in a hostile economy.

Feeling wanted

The target group of the event is younger dropouts, but school officials said they would welcome back more adults -- even if their returns don't boost the district's graduation figures.

Diplomas will help adults earn better jobs and higher pay, Barrie said. Adults earning degrees may also serve notice to younger teens about the value of education and encourage more dropouts to return to class, she said.

School officials believe young dropouts will return if they feel wanted and see a reasonable pathway to their degrees. Participants can enroll either at traditional schools or through online or alternative learning.

Just asking dropouts to return can be persuasive, Barrie said. "It's news to people that we care."

Since the campaign started in June, 82 dropouts have expressed interest in returning. Twenty-five were referred to adult education, which will prepare them to take the GED exam.

A flier did the trick

Cleo McIntosh, a 36-year-old mother of three, had thought often about earning her diploma ever since the birth of her first child ended her senior year of high school some years ago. Then a volunteer handed her a "We Want You Back" flier at her kids' band concert this summer.

"I got to reading it and asking some questions and ended up calling the next day," said McIntosh, who will take the GED exam this fall.

"Probably need to brush up on my algebra a little bit," she said with a chuckle.

Volunteer efforts to reach dropouts emerged in Houston, Texas, in 2004. The annual door-knocking campaign there has recruited 50 to 100 dropouts to the Houston Independent School District each year -- about one of every 10 dropouts contacted. Nine in 10 of Houston's returnees are older than traditional students, though some are only a year or two removed from high school.

Minneapolis officials believe a key to their success will be offering flexible options to dropouts. During next month's door-to-door campaign, volunteers will call district specialists to look up dropouts' records and inform them right away how many credits they have left to earn.

Middle-schoolers will be steered back to class, but older teens may pursue alternatives such as the Phoenix high school program, which helps them individually catch up on missing credits.

"It would be very difficult to go into South High as a 19-year-old freshman," Barrie said. "We're not going to give the diplomas away, but there are multiple ways you can earn them."

Making progress

Minneapolis' federally reported graduation rate has already improved from 53 percent in 2003 to 76 percent in 2008. Critics question those figures, though, because they exclude students who are no longer in class but whose whereabouts can't be verified by the district.

Another measure is the share of high schoolers who graduate in four years. That rate was 43 percent in Minneapolis, compared with 73 percent statewide, in 2008.

Tom Emmer, the Republican candidate for governor, has criticized Minneapolis' performance relative to the amount of state money the district receives. However, his references during the campaign to a 60 percent dropout rate don't match any official figures.

School officials said the graduation rate is improving, regardless of which figures are cited, and that the "We Want You Back'' campaign can only help. The campaign will particularly target minority groups, because their dropout rates remain disproportionately high.

A basketball tournament, also on Saturday, will appeal to American Indians in the Little Earth community. Minneapolis' federally reported graduation rate for this racial group is 57 percent. The four-year graduation rate is only 22 percent.

"[Graduating] opens doors," Barrie said. "It's hopeful. It's hope for a better life."

That's what McIntosh has in mind. She took the GED test a decade ago and just missed passing. Working a low-wage job sorting recyclables, McIntosh is hoping a degree would be a springboard to a career, perhaps as an X-ray technician, and better wages for her family.

"I've been waiting do to it for a while," she said. "There were always so many things going on in my life. Now it's time to accomplish the things I really want to do."

Jeremy Olson • 612-673-7744