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Tech boom bypasses poor kids Dropout and �idle teen� rates rise By Jonel Aleccia The economic and technological boom of the past decade has bypassed rural and poor children in Oregon � including Jackson County � according to a report released today that ranks the state 27th in the nation for child well-being. The state�s poorest families lack what have become basic connections to the new economy �computers, Internet access, even telephones, as well as strong economic and social resources. At the same time, rising high school dropout rates and increased numbers of idle teens are evidence that expanded opportunities aren�t available for all, according to the 2000 Kids Count Data Book, an annual study produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Posting the largest increase in the nation, the percentage of Oregon teens who dropped out of high school grew from 8 percent in 1990 to 13 percent in 1997, a rise of 63 percent. The state ranks as the 45th worst in the nation on this measure. Oregon is also one of only six states where the number of teenagers ages 16 to 19 not attending school and not working increased. Idle teens increased from 7 percent in 1990 to 11 percent in 1997, a 57 percent rise. Though troubling, those statistics come as no news to local educators and human services workers, who say they continue to chip away at entrenched problems. "I think we locally have made some strides," said Hank Collins, Jackson County director of health and human services. "We are working real hard, and we have been recognized in the state as being on the cutting edge of solutions. Now we need to keep our ideas focused on the outcomes." Steve Wisely, Medford schools superintendent, said his district has created many and varied programs to keep kids in school. He questioned the high dropout rate, attributing it in part to flawed accounting by the state Department of Education. "If a youngster moves away and enrolls in a school district someplace else and that school doesn�t request records, the state records it as a dropout," Wisely said. "I continue to pitch what I�ve pitched for years, which is this state�s definition of a dropout is not a dropout. They�re leavers." Tonia Hunt, public policy director for Children First of Oregon, said the dropout figures were used across the nation to measure the percentage of teens ages 16 to 19 who are not enrolled in school and who have not completed high school. "We have a serious problem in Oregon related to high school dropouts. We need solutions, not excuses," she said. Rates for dropouts and idle teens were among 10 indicators measured in the study. Between 1990 and 1997, the well-being of Oregon�s children deteriorated in four areas and improved in six. On the negative side, the percentage of low birthweight babies increased by 10 percent and the percent of single parent families increased by 17 percent. On the positive side, Oregon�s percentage of children living in poverty improved by 11 percent, the state�s infant mortality rate improved by 30 percent; the death rate for kids ages 1 to 14 improved by 14 percent; the teen death rate due to accidents, murder and suicide fell by 27 percent; the teen birth rate improved by 13 percent; and the percent of children whose parents do not have full-time employment decreased by 3 percent. Among disturbing trends was evidence of the increasing division between children and families with access to technology and those without. In Oregon, 5 percent of children live in households without phones, 44 percent lack computers and 70 percent don�t have access to the Internet. "We need more than subsidies and charities to serve the needs of Oregon families," said Hunt. "We need opportunities, tools and relationships to bridge the �connections divide.� " Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA