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Schools try to trim dropout rate Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Anabel Reyes, 16, is back in North Medford High School after dropping out for a month. Dropout rates among Medford Hispanic students are higher than the state average, prompting the school district to start several programs it hopes will help Reyes and others like her stay in school. By DAMIAN MANN Sociedad will help parents get involved in education The Medford School District will hold its first meeting this week of what will be the Hispanic version of a PTO. La Sociedad de Padres de Familia is an outgrowth of meetings with parents, school officials and other community members to provide more support for the Hispanic community, particularly for parents who speak little or no English. "We are just getting it started," said Zuna Johnson, the district's English as a Second Language specialist. "I think it's going to come together." She said this, along with other efforts, will help the district understand the frustrations Hispanic parents feel in dealing with the American educational system. Lilia Caballero, of Medford, who has three children in Medford schools, said the program is just part of the effort needed to get parents involved in an unfamiliar school system. "We're working on it, but we have a long way to go." Caballero, who has been active in getting the program off the ground, hopes La Sociedad stimulates more parent involvement. "I think the biggest thing that we have to learn is to take the responsibility for our child's education," she said. "In my heart, it is my responsibility." Frustrated with a Hispanic dropout rate above the state average, the Medford School District has scrambled to find a way to reverse this trend. Last year, 13.6 percent of Hispanic students dropped out at North Medford High School. South Medford High School's rate was even higher, at 16.9 percent, compared to the state average of 13.3 percent. As high as these numbers are, they represent a slight improvement over the previous year, said Zuna Johnson, English as a Second Language specialist. "The numbers are going down," she said. Many Hispanic students are facing an uphill battle trying to stay in school, she said. The No. 1 reason cited for dropping out is the need to work to support a family. "Working gets in the way of attendance," Johnson said. As soon as work takes up more than 15 hours a week, a student begins to give up studying, she said. After a short time, the student has fallen so far behind that it is almost impossible to catch up. Students with limited English proficiency find themselves in the same predicament, falling so far behind in their studies that they finally give up. The Oregon Department of Education has found that lack of parental support, pregnancy and the inability to speak English well are some of the other major factors causing the high dropout rate. To combat this problem, the Medford district has embarked on a plan to keep students in school by bringing them together with their parents, school administrators, teachers, the police and other organizations. "If it takes a whole village to raise a child, then that's what we're going to do," said Johnson. "The biggest thing that we have started to actualize, which we now fully accept and understand, is that we have to go across cultures. The education in Mexico is very different from France, from Canada, from Mexico, from the U.S. It is a culture shock." Since many Hispanic parents face cultural hurdles in understanding America's educational system, Johnson said there is a plan to create the Hispanic version of a PTO, La Sociedad de Padres de Familia. The district also began this year to print newsletters, report cards and calendars in Spanish as well as English for middle school and high school students. Previously, bilingual printings were done just at the elementary schools. Dropouts by the numbers Dropout percentage rates in overall student population in 1999-2000, according to the Oregon Department of Education and Medford School District: Oregon: 6.3 North Medford: 8.33 (169 students) South Medford: 10.57 (195 students) Dropout percentage rates in Hispanic student population: Oregon: 13.3 North Medford: 13.6 (23 students) South Medford: 16.9 (33 students) Total students in Medford Schools: 12,531 Total Hispanic students in Medford Schools: 1,484 (11.8 percent) Why some students drop out Reasons Hispanic students give for dropping out, according to the Oregon Department of Education: Working more than 15 hours a week Too far behind in credits to catch up Lack of parental support for education Does not speak English well or at all Pregnant or student parent Johnson hopes to begin teaching high school math in Spanish and continue other outreach programs such as Teatro Latino (Latin Theater) and Seeds of the Future, which helps Hispanic youth adjust to their new culture. The district, which has an active English as a Second Language program, will be hiring more bilingual and bicultural assistants and will add more instruction time for the staff at the two high schools. Maria Swan, Medford Police Department cultural outreach coordinator, said getting the Latino community involved in the dropout rate problem is critical to finding a solution. "The missing link was the Hispanic parents," she said. As a result, administrators and teachers have met with parents during the past school year. "One parent said she had never seen a report card in the three years her child had been at school," said Swan. Many of the parents speak little or no English and are reluctant to call the schools, she said. As a result, teachers often are pressed into service to act as liaisons. But Swan said, "These teachers are overwhelmed. They are not social workers or receptionists." Lilia Caballero, of Medford, who has been active in getting more Hispanic parents involved in the schools, said, "The school system here is really different." In Mexico, a student could stay in first grade indefinitely. "In this country, you pass your grades automatically because they don't want to hurt your self-esteem," she said. But in high school, students get a rude awakening if they suddenly fall behind academically, Caballero said. With three students in the Medford School District, Caballero said the biggest thing she has learned in her 19 years in America is that a parent must stay involved. "The school has the obligation to teach your kid, but you have the obligation to keep your kid in school," she said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.