WCEA Student Retention Policy
Board Document · Annual Review After Each Academy Cohort
This policy governs how WCEA keeps students engaged through to completion across both Launch Lab and the Academy — built around the principle that a student leaving is a signal the program missed, not a failure of the student. For Launch Lab, it maps a specific retention checkpoint to every one of the 9 sessions, with escalating responses tied to absences (1 absence: personal follow-up; 3 absences: formal retention conversation; 4+: withdrawal with priority re-enrollment). For the Academy, it tracks retention across all four phases, with the mentor relationship treated as the single most powerful retention tool — including a rematch process if a pairing isn't working. It formalizes business pivots as a normal, supported part of the program rather than a failure (one pivot allowed per student without penalty), defines exactly how a "formal retention conversation" works and who's in the room, and sets real completion targets WCEA reports to the board every meeting — 70%+ Launch Lab completion in Year 1, rising to 80%+ by Year 3.