Strategic Plan

• Goal 1.4 In comparison with other similar school district, District 11 will have the lowest dropout rate and the highest graduation rate in the state by 2008

What is the Dropout Rate?

• The dropout rate is an annual rate reflecting the percentage of students who leave school during a single school year.

• It is calculated by dividing the number of dropouts by the number of students in the membership base.

• By a 1993 legislative mandate, expelled students are not included in the dropout rate.

What is the Graduation Rate?

• The graduation rate is a cumulative or longitudinal rate which calculates the number of students who actually graduate as a percent of those who were in membership and could have graduated over a four year period.

• The membership base is adjusted to accommodate transfers in or out of the base.

2003 Dropout Rate

• District 11 Dropout Rate –4.1%

• State Dropout Rate—2.4%

2003 Graduation Rate

• District 11 Graduation Rate—67%

• State Graduation Rate—83.6%

Why Do Students Drop Out?

• It is common for a student to have multiple reasons for dropping out.

• According to the U.S. Department of Education– Percentage of dropouts who reported

the following various reasons for dropping out of school applied to them.

School Related

• 51% Did not like school

• 35% Could not get along with teachers

• 20% Could not get along with students

• 15% Suspended too often

• 12% Did not feel safe

• 13% Expelled

• 23% Felt I didn’t belong

School Related

• 31% Could not keep up

• 39% Failing

• 13% Changed school, did not like new school

Job Related

• 14% Could not work and go to school at the same time

• 15% Had to get a job

• 15% Found a job

Family Related

• 9% Had to support family

• 13% Was Pregnant

• 14% Became a parent

• 13% Got married

• 8% Had to care for family member

Other

• 2% Wanted to travel

• 14% Had friends who dropped out

This is a National Problem

• We are part of it• It is complex• Research suggests--There is no

“one size fits all”• Research suggests a multifaceted

approach

Effective Strategies

• National Dropout Prevention Center

–Clemson University

–Clemson, South Carolina

NDPC

• Identified 15 effective strategies that have the most positive impact on the dropout rate

– Four Categories

• School and Community Perspective

• Making the Most of Instruction

• Early Interventions

• Basic Core Strategies

School and Community

• School-Community Collaboration–Project Redirect–Youth Assessment Center–Boys and Girls Clubs–McMaster Center–Adventures in Learning

School and Community

• Safe Learning Environments–Crimestoppers (CSPD)–Bullyproofing Curriculum–School Resource Officers

(CSPD)–Boystown

School and Community

• Systemic Renewal

– Continuing process of evaluating goals and objectives related to school policies, practices, and organizational structures

– Continuous Quality Improvement

Making the Most of Instruction

• Professional Development– Ruby Payne Training– Dr. Jose Barerra/Multicultural Study

with a focus on Hispanic youth– Professional Learning

Communities/Pyramid of Interventions

Making the Most of Instruction

• Individualized instruction

–Individual Learning Plans (ILP)

–Differentiated Instruction

Making the Most of Instruction

• Active Learning–Teaching and learning strategies

•Multiple Intelligences Theory•Learning Styles•Cooperative Learning•Project-Based Learning

Making the Most of Instruction

• Educational Technology

– Bridge the “Digital Divide”

– Provide individualized instruction

• Proving effective for at-risk youth

– Prepare students for the workforce

Making the Most of Instruction

• Career and Technical Education–Business Education Courses–Consumer and Family Studies

Courses–Industrial Technology Courses–ACE and Business Internships

Early Interventions

• Family Engagement

–Literacy nights

–Parent Connect (now includes phone)

–Youth Assessment Center

Early Interventions

• Early Childhood Education

–Headstart Program

–Preschool Programs

–Full-day Kindergarten

Early Interventions

• Early Literacy Development– Tutoring before school, after, and

summer– Corrective Reading– Guided Reading– Battle of the Books– Read 180

Basic Core Strategies

• Mentoring/Tutoring–Grandfriends–Link Crew–AFA Partnership w/ Cadets–Each One Reach One–Peer Counseling

Basic Core Strategies

• Service Learning

– EPYCS

– School Clubs and Teams

– Project Redirect

– Research suggests this is particularly effective with middle school students

Basic Core Strategies

• Alternative Schooling

– Tesla, Bijou, Palmer Night, Doherty Night, Digital School, Adult Ed., Spring Creek

– Lifeskills, Community Prep, Globe, CIVA, Roosevelt and Emerson-Edison

– New Directions

Basic Core Strategies

• After-School Opportunities– After school daycare/Adventure Club– Boys and Girls Clubs– After school intramural programs– Athletics– Homework Club– School Clubs

Showing Promise

• Student Support Services Coordinator– Dropout prevention/Dropout

recovery• The Digital School• Professional Learning Communities

– Pyramid of Interventions• 9th Grade Summer Institute

Next Steps

• Use the work of the National Dropout Prevention Center as a framework to develop a comprehensive K-12 dropout prevention/dropout recovery system.

• Continually research the work that is being accomplished on a local and national basis.

Next Steps

• Build a system that enables us to identify, individually, students who are in danger of dropping out and design interventions that fit the needs of each.