Personal attention helps keep students in high school
By Ellie Ashford
A survey of dropouts by the Duval County, Fla., school district revealed that many were bored and disengaged in high school and didn’t see the relevance of what they were being taught.
When asked what might help them stay in school, students cited higher expectations from teachers and parents, improved teaching, a more challenging curriculum, and increased relevance.
School officials took those findings to heart in implementing a series of high school reforms. The plan’s centerpiece is a required one-credit course for ninth-graders called “Keystone” that covers life skills and career explorations.
Duval is one of a number of districts around the nation that hopes to raise graduation rates by encouraging ninth-graders to feel more connected to school.
A recent report by Jobs for the Future, Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards, recommends more personal attention and early, continuous support for struggling students as part of a more comprehensive dropout prevention strategy.
According to the report, research shows that successful, high-poverty schools have been able to beat the odds by focusing on the transition to high school, using early warning systems to keep students on track, providing extended learning time, requiring all students to take academically challenging classes, and preparing students for college and careers.
Ninth grade is a critical year, says Beverly Strickland, Duval County’s director of high school programs. The idea behind the Keystone course is to motivate students to stay in school and work hard by teaching them how an education will benefit them later.
Students learn strategies for getting good grades, getting the most out of high school, identifying key people who can help, and the relevance of high school to future success. They also take tests to determine their interests and talents and research colleges and universities.
They learn about personal budgeting by working backwards, she says. First, they decide what kind of lifestyle they want, then determine how much money they will need, what kind of job will produce enough income, and what kind of training they’ll need to get that job.
The 38,000-student district also created smaller learning communities, increased the number of AP and IB courses, expanded career academies, and implemented professional learning communities.
It’s too early to tell whether those initiatives are having an impact on Duval County’s 64.4 percent graduation rate, which is lower than the state average of 72.4 percent and the national average of 67 percent.
In rural South Carolina, McCormick High School has raised its graduation rate from about 73 percent before 2006 to about 89 percent last year by taking a similar personalized approach, says Principal Bobby Cunningham.
Under McCormick’s adviser-advisee program, each student is paired with a teacher for the entire four years of high school. They meet every day for a 35-minute class with about 10 students per adviser.
During the class, students explore career possibilities and work on portfolios, which include a self-assessment statement, short and long-term career goals and an action plan, college or employment applications, resume, description of work experience, and lists of honors and awards.
Juniors decide on a “major” and take appropriate electives and participate in job shadowing or a similar activity.
The state requires students to select a major, and high schools must offer at least three career-related “clusters,” Cunningham says. McCormick has four: building construction trades, business, health, and education, which reflect the type of jobs available in the area.
The advisor-advisee program “creates a personal attachment to schooling,” Cunningham says. “School is no longer just something they have to do. It is meaningful to their own goals.”
The Lowndes County school system, based in Valdosta, Ga., is undertaking a variety of approaches to improve its graduation rate. The district has just one high school, which serves about 2,750 students.
Much attention is devoted to analyzing data, says Superintendent E. Steve Smith. While the district’s graduation rate has been rising and reached a respectable 78.4 percent last year, which exceeds the state average, an analysis of the data showed some groups were falling through the cracks.
To help students feel more connected to school, Smith says, incoming freshmen are urged to sign up for at least two extracurricular activities.
Having a block schedule makes it easier for students to take a “double dose” of credits, says Wes Taylor, principal of Lowndes High School. A student failing math, for example, can take two math courses during the senior year instead of electives.
The district brings all eighth-graders to the high school in February or March so they get an idea of what to expect.
The district also has a “trading spaces” day involving eighth-grade and ninth-grade teachers. The eighth-grade teachers get to see how well their former students have been prepared for high school, while the ninth-grade teachers get to meet some of the students they’ll have in class next year.
Another factor in the district’s success in dropout prevention is the Georgia law that requires every high school and middle school to have a graduation coach.
The coaches identify the students most at risk of dropping out. “We get to know them by name. That makes a tremendous difference,” Taylor says. “It lets them know somebody is watching them and someone cares and wants them to be successful.”
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