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Dropout Rate to be Addressed
PHOENIX (By Karina Bland, Arizona Republic) June 7, 2004 -
Once again, Arizona's high school dropout rate is the worst in the country,
almost double the national rate. But this time, the state seems poised to do
something about it. For the third consecutive year, Arizona ranked 50th for its percentage of teens, ages 16 to 19, who have dropped out of school. The findings are in the annual Kids Count Data Book by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. The study, based on 2001 census data and released last week, shows dropout rates ranging from 4 percent in North Dakota to 16 percent in Arizona. The national rate was 9 percent. Arizona's longtime dismal rankings prompted retired Arizona State University President Lattie Coor, along with Sybil Francis, a public policy specialist and wife of current ASU President Michael Crow, in February to create the Center for the Future of Arizona and attack the dropout problem. "There's a great network of people, all working together," Coor said. It will take timeStill, improving the dropout rate will take time. Coor suspects Arizona could show progress by 2012.The Arizona numbers have been so bad for so long that no one gets too fired up about a new ranking with the same old news. Education officials are more likely to talk about how unreliable the data might be than what they reveal. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne points to a recent study by the state's universities that said Arizona's reputation of having too many dropouts may not be the fault of schools but of missing or bad information: "It appears that a lot of these conclusions depends on who is manipulating the data." Horne does not hold much with dropout rates, which are calculated over a period of one year. He prefers graduation rates, measured over four years. Arizona's graduation rate in 2002 was 72.7 percent, according to state reports, meaning more than a quarter of kids don't get their diplomas. Still, it's better than the national rate in 2001 of 70 percent. The Kids Count data are generally considered a good measure of what is happening nationally, Coor said. Carol Kamin, director of the non-profit Children's Action Alliance, agreed: "Compared across the board, we are dead last. We have problems, and it's time we address them." There does seem a determined effort now to do something about the dropout rate. Coor's group is gathering community leaders to make a plan for improving the dropout rate. Coor calls the group a "do tank," not a think tank. He counts off others dedicated to the dropout problem: the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona, Greater Phoenix Leadership, Arizona Education Association, Arizona Business Education Council, Horne and the governor's school readiness board, among others. New prevention programs have sprung up across the state. Horne created the position of stay-in-school coordinator in February and hired Rhonda St. Louis, who has worked with at-risk youths, most recently at the East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa. Her charge is to study the best practices in dropout prevention so the agency can recommend what works best. Both Coor and Horne cite funding for full-day kindergarten approved last month by lawmakers as a good start. While 20-year studies of quality preschool programs have shown improved graduation rates, no such study has been done for full-day kindergarten. Experts assume the benefits will be the same. "I have no doubt that it will be helpful," Horne said. "In the meantime, we have to address the problem of the kids who are teenagers now." There's no single explanation as to why kids drop out of school. Reasons range from teen pregnancy, language barriers and problems at home, to inadequate education funding, poverty and divorce. Arizona has rapid growth and high mobility, especially among the poor, and - depending on the study - one of the highest dropout rates for Latinos. Between 1990 and 2000, the Hispanic dropout rate rose to 34 percent from 22 percent, according to census data. "It's not a simple problem, and it doesn't have a simple solution," said Linda Goins, director of small school environments for the Phoenix Union High School District, which boasts the nation's longest running program for dropouts. Goins joined the district in 1977. "We knew then we had a dropout problem," she said. Bostrom opens in '76In fall 1976, Transition School, now called Bostrom High, opened in an attempt to lure back teenagers who had given up on their schooling.It is small, with a maximum enrollment of 400, compared with some Phoenix high schools that can have 2,500 students. Registration is every six weeks, so there are plenty of chances during the year for a fresh start. Students can come in the morning or evening for classes year-round. "This school is smaller. The teachers can teach you whatever you ask them," said Luis Montes, 18, who dropped out of Trevor Browne High after ditching 40 days. He has not missed any days at Bostrom. "There are no fights," Montes said, so he feels safer. He will graduate in December. Malissa Muρoz, 19, was expelled from Alhambra High at 16 for missing too many days: "It was so big. I was lost in that confusion." She got a job as a waitress, but it was hard work and not what she wanted to do with her life. Now Muρoz takes three buses to get to Bostrom, leaving her home near 35th and Southern avenues before 6:30 a.m. She credits the staff and teachers: "They're good people. They really try hard to help you out." Goins has seen dropout programs across the state start and fail. "You can have the fanciest program in the world, the most high-powered technology, all the physical things that make a good learning environment," she said. "But if you don't have teachers and staff who can convey to kids that they care about them and want to help them to succeed, it's not going to work." This year, 88 students graduated from Bostrom, including Nestor Vargas, 18, who quit Maryvale High at 15. "I wasn't really thinking about the future. Now I think big," he said. Vargas leaves for basic training with the Marine Corps in August. He then plans to attend the University of Arizona to study medicine. He is a success story for PUHSD, which now has one of the lowest dropout rates in the state and when compared with other large-city districts nationwide. For the 2002-03 school year, the dropout rate was 4.9 percent, down from 17.6 percent in 1995-96. The four-year graduation rate hovers at 70 percent, up from 50 percent four years ago. PUHSD has a variety of dropout prevention programs, including free summer school, mentoring and support groups. Liaisons visit parents of English language learners to talk about the importance of attendance and graduation. Another program targets Native American students. Plans include new, smaller schools for bioscience, emergency responders and computers. A dropout task force meets once a month to review dropout numbers and programs. "We have done a lot of study in Arizona," Goins said. "We do know what works. We just need to stop talking about it and do it." |
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