Local groups look for ways to help and encourage youths to stay in school and graduate

Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:13 AM

By James Cowden

For the Salisbury Post

Another school year is under way in Rowan County. Students wait with great anticipation to see old friends, make new friends and get to know their teachers.

Most students will acclimate quickly to the new school year, but some will drop out of school before they graduate.

Why do students drop out of school? There is no single reason why. According to “The Silent Epidemic, Perspectives of High School Dropouts,” the top five reasons dropouts identify for leaving school are:

- Classes were not interesting (47 percent);

- Missed too many days and could not catch up (43 percent);

- Spent time with people who were not interested in school (42 percent);

- Had too much freedom and not enough rules in my life (38 percent);

- Was failing in school (35 percent).

The biggest surprise to most people is the belief that dropouts must be failing school. The “Silent Epidemic” survey found that 88 percent of dropouts had passing grades, with 62 percent having C’s and above.

As complex as individual circumstances may be for young people dropping out of school, it is seldom a sudden act, but a gradual process of disengagement. Youths may refuse to wake up, skip class or have frequent absences from school.

Parents are sometimes at a loss on how to get their kids to attend school. They may rely on the school truant officer to get their child back in school, but ultimately the student becomes further disengaged.

My oldest son was an example of a student who didn’t want to attend school. It was a struggle every morning to get him up and ready to go to school. I am not talking about high school or middle school, but when he was in the first and second grades. As time went on, he had more frequent absences, but eventually graduated through a home school program.

He was a smart kid who didn’t perform well in a formal school setting. He attended one semester at a community college, but didn’t do well there either.

When youths don’t attend school regularly, they begin to fall behind in their classes. They can struggle to make up the work missed but miss the opportunity to hear class interaction with the teacher and to ask questions of the teacher. The high school graduation requirements are stringent for today’s students.

The decision to drop out of school does not begin in the 10th grade or when a student turns 16, the age North Carolina will allow a student to drop out.

According to Linda Harrill, state director of Communities in Schools of North Carolina, too often parents believe that middle school “doesn’t matter because it does not count.” What they fail to realize is that grades 4 through 8 are the most critical in a child’s educational development. The foundations of basic reading and math are important in the primary grades.

Communities throughout Rowan County are actively involved in helping youths graduate. The Rowan Partners for Education, an advocacy group for public school excellence, recently held a round-table discussion in reducing the dropout rate locally. Agencies involved were Adolescent and Family Enrichment Council, Black Achievers, Communities in Schools, Cooperative Extension, Department of Social Services Children Services Division, Girl Scouts, Henderson Independent High School, Lideres Hispanos del Futuro, Project Safe, Rowan County United Way, Youth Services Bureau and YMCA and the Rowan-Salisbury School District’s intervention and prevention programs. Some of these are the 6 Up and 9 Up programs, whereby rising sixth- and ninth-graders are provided skills they will need to feel more competent in their classes. This is provided before the school day begins.

The Rowan-Salisbury School System also received a $6 million federal grant for dropout prevention. During the next four years, the grant will focus on risk factors on youth, such as alcohol and drug abuse, bullying and gang activity. Many programs will be directed toward elementary and middle school age levels.

These are a few of the many new and continuing initiatives that will help students complete their education.

State Superintendent of Public Schools June Atkinson has announced a “Graduation Awareness Week” Sept. 7-13 to build a statewide awareness program to encourage students to stay in school and graduate from high school.

James C. Cowden is Rowan County Cooperative Extension director.

New Study Shows That with Academic Outcomes and Dropout Prevention, It’s Not Just What You Do, It’s How You Do It

ALEXANDRIA, Va, Aug 27, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Communities In Schools Releases Results of Seven-State Study That Shows Improvement in Math, Reading and Graduation Rates is Linked to Integrated Service Provision

Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, has released initial results from the midpoint of its five-year longitudinal study. The study, conducted by ICF International, a global consulting and research firm, has produced three major findings. One of the most notable findings is that the Communities In Schools Model of providing integrated student services has a stronger impact on school-level outcomes than providing services for students in an uncoordinated fashion.

“We are thrilled to have this external validation of our work,” says Daniel J. Cardinali, president, Communities In Schools, Inc. “For more than 30 years, we’ve been working inside schools and seeing incredible results among some of the country’s most underserved students. Now, we have scientific evidence that our particular approach to improving student achievement is really making a difference.”

For more than three decades, Communities In Schools has been working in partnership with public schools, integrating the services that students need to stay in school and achieve high academic outcomes. Services such as tutoring, mentoring, after-school programs, career development, financial literacy, community service and life skills development are coordinated through a single point of contact at the school. Resources are then tailored to the school and the student, and also linked to academic outcomes. This coordinated, integrated way of serving the whole child is the hallmark of the Communities In Schools Model, which is now proven to produce better outcomes.

The study is based on a comparative analysis of more than 1,200 schools–half of which implemented the Communities In Schools Model and half of which did not. The states of Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Washington, and Pennsylvania were selected for the study because they comprise the largest concentration of Communities in Schools affiliates in the nation. The findings in this study exceed the U.S. Department of Education standards for showing a substantial impact. Additional findings include:

– Among similar research-based dropout prevention organizations, the Communities In Schools Model is one of the few proven to actually keep students in school. It is also the only program among this small group of organizations that is proven to increase graduation rates. When measured against the comparison group, of every 1,000 students at a Communities In Schools high-implementing school,* 36 more high school students remain in school and 48 more graduate on time with a regular diploma.

– When implemented with fidelity, the Communities In Schools Model produces a higher percentage of students reaching proficiency in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math. At high implementing* Communities In Schools schools, of every 1,000 elementary students, 53 more attain proficiency in math and 20 more attain proficiency in reading. For every 1,000 middle school students, 60 more achieve proficiency in math and 49 more achieve proficiency in reading.

– When the Communities In Schools Model* of integrated student services is effectively implemented, there is a strong correlation with positive school-level outcomes like dropout and graduation rates. This correlation is much stronger than when services are provided in an uncoordinated fashion. The study confirms that when combined, the elements of the CIS Model, including the presence of a school-based site coordinator, enhance the effectiveness of prevention and intervention services.

About Communities In Schools — Communities In Schools is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, working in more than 3,200 K-12 public schools. Founded in 1977, Communities In Schools is headquartered in Alexandria, Va. Today, nearly 1.2 million young people every year receive direct services through nearly 200 Communities In Schools local affiliates in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 80 to 90 percent of our tracked students show improvement in academic achievement, attendance, behavior and promotion to the next grade level.

About ICF International — The evaluation contractor for this project is ICF International. ICF International brings nearly 40 years of experience in evaluating social, environmental, security, defense, energy and transportation programs, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. ICF is an established and respected partner of the U.S. Department of Education, and has a portfolio of clients that include state and federal government agencies, and domestic and international for-profit and nonprofit organizations. ICF is known for their high standards of rigor, comprehensive research designs and outstanding evaluation.

*High-implementing schools, as defined in this study, refer to Communities In Schools (CIS) schools that implement every aspect of the CIS Model. The CIS Model of integrated student services includes the following core elements: (1) the presence of a CIS school-based, on-site coordinator; (2) a comprehensive school- and student-level needs assessment; (3) a community asset assessment and identification of potential partners; (4) annual plans for school-level prevention and individual intervention strategies; (5) the delivery of appropriate combinations of widely accessible prevention services and resources for the entire school population, coupled with coordinated, targeted and sustained intervention services and resources for individual students with significant risk factors; and (6) data collection and evaluation over time, with monitoring and modifications of services offered to individual students and/or the entire school population.

SOURCE Communities In Schools

 http://www.cisnet.org