School district programs designed to get dropouts back in school

Several of these efforts are described in Whatever it Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth, by Nancy Martin and Samuel Halperin of the American Youth Policy Forum. The report was published this spring in cooperation with several organizations, including NSBA.

One example is the Daylight/Twilight High School in Trenton, N.J., where a no-nonsense approach to academics and discipline resulted in a graduation rate higher than that of a traditional high school.

Before the school was created, the Trenton school district had a dropout rate approaching 70 percent.

Daylight/Twilight High started in 1999 as a program of Trenton’s Central High School. It is now a free-standing school with satellite sites throughout the city. About 15 percent of the students are recent immigrants, 60 percent are under age 21, and many are parents.

The school offers a flexible, four-hour school day, with an option of shifts: 7:30-11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., or 3:30-7: 30 p.m.

The focus is exclusively on academics with no “frills,” such as lunch, library, or sports teams. Students must arrive on time with all necessary learning materials, and no bathroom breaks are allowed during classes, says Principal William Tracy.

Any student absent more than three times in a 10-week session is placed in an “audit” status and receives no credit toward graduation until reinstated as a regular student.

Tracy stresses Daylight/Twilight is not an alternative school. He calls it an attractive option for older teens and adults who want legitimate proof that they completed high school.

The school emphasizes core math, language arts, science, and technology courses and is moving toward more career-focused academics.

Students must complete 115 credits to graduate and can accumulate up to 15 credits every 10 weeks. Students must take two technology courses and pass an exam to earn an “International Computer Driver’s License,” so they will have an internationally recognized set of skills when they graduate. Students can also earn credits for community service and work experience.

About 450 to 550 students graduate from Daylight/Twilight every year, essentially doubling the number of high school diplomas awarded by Trenton’s Central High School.

A study of past graduates found more than 85 percent had jobs, were in the military, or attended college full time.

The state of New Jersey awarded Trenton Public Schools $17 million to build a new facility in downtown Trenton next to a campus of Mercer County Community College. The new school is expected to be completed this fall.

In Austin, Texas, the school district uses a “solution-focused problem-solving approach” to prevent students from dropping out and get dropouts back in school. The district’s Comprehensive Dropout Reduction/ Prevention Program was created by a task force of educators, parents, and community leaders in 2001.

At-risk students’ academic, attendance, and behavioral problems are addressed through various levels of intervention by a designated “impact team” on each of the district’s 107 campuses.

The impact teams assign responsibility for reducing the dropout rate, says school board member John Fitzpatrick. There were improvements in student discipline, attendance, and grades in about 80 percent of the interventions, he says.

Austin’s Gonzalo Garza Independence High School -- an inner-city, year-round, open enrollment, open entry/open exit school of choice -- opened in 1999 with the mission of “removing traditional barriers to high school completion.”

Garza is for students who have completed at least 10 credits and want to earn a high school diploma. It is open to students currently enrolled in any Austin high school and those who have been out of school for a while. But all who want to attend must submit a written application.

Before Jan. 1, there were no penalties for absences, but now students must maintain a 90 percent attendance rate, says Principal Victoria Baldwin. The school’s 18 teachers, or “facilitators,” developed the curriculum, which is composed primarily of course packets that students complete at their own pace at school with close supervision.

Career exploration is a major focus of the school. A school-to-career specialist provides job search assistance for all students and graduates and arranges college visits, internships, job shadowing, career field trips, and company tours.

The school offers workshops on college preparation, life skills, and financial aid, and students are given assistance in accessing online job listings and finding employment.  

A central theme at Garza is mastery of information technology. Students learn about business computer information systems, computer applications, media technology, graphic arts, advertising design, animation, and desktop publishing.

Through a partnership with a dropout prevention organization called Communities in Schools, students receive such services as individual and group counseling; crisis intervention; tutoring and mentoring; health referrals; help with Medicaid, food stamps, housing, birth control, and legal aid; custody advice; community service options; and referral to outside agencies.

Students are asked to leave only if they fail to attend school regularly or fail to make progress in a way that indicates they are not committed to graduating. Garza boasts a 2.7 percent dropout rate.

The Jefferson County school system in Louisville, Ky., does not believe in a one-size-fits-all instructional program, so the district offers “more than 80 specialized instructional programs designed to stimulate and motivate students to succeed,” says Superintendent Stephen Daeschner.

He says the 91,000-student district’s “managed choice system” has the goal of graduating every child to high standards, “no matter what it takes.”

A student’s barrier to success often comes from situations that happen outside of school, says Deputy Superintendent Martin Bell. “It may be a lack of clothing to attend school, an alarm clock to wake up, or a drug problem.”

As a result, the district established partnerships with several social service agencies and youth organizations to help students overcome these external barriers, Bell says.

Among the options for at-risk students are the eSchool, where students can earn credits online; an Independent Study High School, where credits can be earned through correspondence courses; Liberty High School, a nontraditional “safety net” school for students struggling academically; and programs for homeless students, migrant students, and teenage parents.

After the 1980 Census revealed that 36.5 percent of the area’s population aged 25 and older had not completed high school, the district responded by opening Jefferson County High School, a more flexible model designed to appeal to working young adults.

The school is targeted to adults aged 21 or older, youths aged 16-20 who dropped out of school, and students at the ninth-grade level or above who meet certain academic criteria and promise to attend classes at least 15 hours a week.

The year-round school was originally planned to hold 200 students, but more than 700 enrolled in the first few years.

Students can attend academic classes and participate in online studies at five locations around the county at times convenient for them: 8-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., or 6-9 p.m.

Among the class of 2005, 61 percent are in college, 23 percent are working, 6 percent are in vocational or technical school, 7 percent are in both school and working, and 2 percent are in the military. Only 2 percent are neither in school nor working.

• Open entry/open exit. Most programs allow students to proceed through curricular modules at their own pace. Graduation occurs once the student has successfully completed state and district requirements.

• Flexible scheduling and year-round learning. Such built-in flexibility accommodates students who have family and work responsibilities.

• Teachers as coaches, facilitators, and crew leaders. The message to students should be: “You are an adult. We respect you. We are here to help you achieve your goals.”

• Real-world, career-oriented curricula. The aim is to prepare students for postsecondary education, postgraduation employment, and further advancement in the workforce.

• Opportunities for employment. Many students need income to support themselves and their families, so many programs arrange summer and after-school jobs or offer modest stipends for work performed while students are learning.  

• Clear codes of conduct with consistent enforcement. Instead of punitive discipline or security measures, administrators should use the positive rewards of educational achievement and peer recognition.

• Extensive support services. This includes caring adults who counsel, mentor, and guide students.