Document text
Crater, North get good news about dropouts Efforts to keep kids in school pay dividends BY VICKI GUARINO Eight years ago, Crater High School gained the dismal distinction of having Oregon's highest dropout rate. No school of its size had as many students slipping out the back door. Times sure have changed. Central Point's dropout rate is below the state average for the first time ever, according to the state Department of Education. Beyond the successes at Crater, the department's annual report on public school dropouts released Friday has more good news for Jackson County educators. Most districts held on to more students in the last school year than the year before. And the county's largest high school, North Medford, posted the county's largest gains, slicing its dropout rate by well over 2 percent. Officials at both schools credit programs that target likely dropouts, extra counseling, diverse courses and other academic alternatives. "It's definitely encouraging," said Central Point Superintendent Mike McClain. "It is something we've been working on." And kids themselves deserve recognition for the progress, said North Assistant Principal Buzz Brazeau. "You've got to give the kids some of the credit for this, and of course that falls back to the parents," Brazeau said. "It's the kids and staff." The local trend bucks the state average for the 1997-98 school year. Statewide, the high school dropout rate rose to 6.9 percent, from 6.7 percent in 1996-97. State schools Superintendent Stan Bunn blames an abundance of low-paying jobs for luring students away from the classroom. "Historically, there's a strong connection between the state's unemployment rate and high school dropouts," Bunn said as he released the new figures. Other reasons students commonly leave school, according to information from school officials around the state, are repeated discipline problems, substance abuse and family obligations. Reasons kids give most frequently for quitting are a sense that course work is not relevant and teachers are not connecting with them, and peer pressure against achievement. Regardless of the reason given, most dropouts have fallen behind significantly in class work by the time they leave. Problems arise most commonly among Hispanic students. Hispanics are twice as likely as white students to quit school. But if getting a job appears to be a better option than getting a diploma, Bunn said, students need to be warned of the risks. Without a diploma, young workers are more likely than their educated counterparts to be stuck in low-paying jobs. And when students try to juggle school and work, they run a risk of fumbling school responsibilities, said McClain. So in Central Point, counseling students and their parents on the importance of time spent in school is part of the anti-dropout campaign. Students who spend more than 10 hours a week at work are likely to miss school activities and lose ties to school and classmates, the Crater staff warns families. The fewer activities a student participates in, the more likely he or she is to eventually drop out, McClain said. A state Bureau of Labor study, noted in the report on dropout rates, shows significant school problems for youngsters working more than 15 hours a week. Attendance drops, grades fall and discipline problems rise. At North Medford, staff members have begun a significant effort to closely analyze students' needs and skills -- paying particular attention to students who seem to be unchallenged, unwilling or unable to keep up academically. Several new classes in English, math and science were added last year to match those highly diverse needs. Then, said Brazeau, students and teachers were hand-picked for those programs. The effort continues, and North staff now is setting curriculum, enrollment and staffing for the next school year. Eagle Point High School, where the state report shows that an already high dropout rate has increased, is putting more emphasis on creating programs and schedules to suit individual student's needs. The school increasingly is using individual learning plans, which incorporate traditional class work with internships, work experience and independent study -- all under the guidance of a teacher. Assistant principal Sally Johnsen said the learning plans have been used for several years, but last spring staff began strongly promoting them to students. More students are using the plans this year, and Johnsen said staff expects the change will result in lower dropout figures for the 1998-99 school year. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA