Dropout expert shares strategy with leaders

Successfully combating the high school dropout problem requires strong school-community collaboration, a national expert on dropout prevention told community leaders Monday.

It takes community-wide programs as well as school-based programs, said Jay Smink, executive director of the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University.

Too often, community leaders might say, "Oh, well, that's a school issue. Let them deal with it," Smink said.

The problem is, when students drop out of school, "They also drop out of the community or drop into the community and into trouble," he told a group of about 70 community and education leaders at Sarah Scott Middle School during a Project 48 meeting.

Project 48 is an initiative by the Vigo County School Corp. to reduce the high school dropout rate and work toward the goal of all students graduating from high school.

Earlier in the day, Smink met with more than 50 school-district counselors, deans and administrators to talk about specific strategies that schools can use.

Smink took time out of his busy schedule to visit Vigo County because of the community support for the project as well as the leadership provided by the superintendent and school board, he said.

"This meeting alone is a positive step because of the fact that stakeholders in the community have endorsed the notion of Project 48," he said.

He presented the 15 most effective strategies for improving high school graduation rates and suggested the school district carry out as many as possible.

At the top of the list is "systemic renewal," or taking a thorough look at the entire school district - including policies and programs - to see if changes are needed that would encourage students to stay in school.

A safe learning environment also is critical, he said. It is one free of intimidation, violence and fear; it also means a "warm and welcoming atmosphere that fosters a spirit of acceptance and caring for every child."

Other strategies for dropout prevention relate to early childhood education; family involvement; mentoring; service learning; alternative schooling; after-school programming that includes summer programs; staff professional development; use of educational technology; individual learning plans for at-risk students; and a focus on career and technical education.

"One of the good things about dropout prevention is that we know a heck of a lot about it," Smink said. Improving graduation rates is a matter of implementing strategies that work.

Schools can identify potential dropouts well before ninth and 10th grade. Some early milestones to look at include third-grade reading levels and attendance problems.

He suggested the school district look at additional measures to ease at-risk students' transition from middle school to high school. Also, it might consider additional strategies for its special education population. Nationwide, dropout rates among students with disabilities are about double that of their general-education peers.

He praised the school district for its vision more than 20 years ago in establishing Washington High School, which serves parenting, pregnant and at-risk teens.