Is There a Simple Solution for Decreasing Dropout Rates?

By Pacheque Barber

As a first time intern and being able to actually see what it’s like from the inside out concerning issues of truancy and dropouts, I’m able to get a better understanding of how issues are being handled. My main question about dropout rates and truancy was ‘Why can’t the Board of Education just come up with a solution that benefits all students?’ Even though I knew it was more complex than just a simple solution, I just didn’t realize how complex it actually was. As I began to learn more about dropout rates, I learned that there is no one simple solution for these problems. An article I recently read called “Solving the dropout jigsaw puzzle” by Matt Harvey who is the Assistant Managing Editor for The Exponent Telegram, hit on certain points with which I completely agreed. In his article, Harvey quoted Delegate Marty Gearheart who represents West Virginia’s Third Congressional District. Gearheart stated that West Virginia has about a twenty-two percent dropout rate. Harvey broke that statistic down: “two out of every ten kids who start out in kindergarten won’t make it to where they obtain a diploma.” That alone shocked me, because we constantly hear about dropout rates and percentages but rarely understand what those numbers mean until they are actually broken down.

Dropouts and children who are truant are more likely to get into trouble with the law and possibly end up in prison. The prisons are overcrowded and the wheels are turning in the minds of those trying to prevent youth from being imprisoned; maybe one of the solutions is to continue to push students to keep them from dropping out. Harvey states that many defendants who show up in the courts are without diplomas or a GED. Harvey mentions Judge Alan D. Moats who looks over the Taylor/Barbour County in West Virginia who has a plan to target truancy early to prevent kids from dropping out. Moats’s plan continues after getting a hold of truancy early; he will not stop there but continue to stay on top of things to make sure that the kids are staying in schools and not behind bars.

Harvey mentions another thing to consider is that no child is the same and each child learns differently and is faster in some subject areas than others. One point he made that stood out to me was that trying to use the same educational methods and strategies may not be adequate for all students. And if the schools are trying a “one way” method without considering those who are not on the same levels, some students would be “bound to fail miserably.” Harvey explains not every student is a fast learner; there are some who need more time to process and understand the information being presented to them. Another issue may be the student isn’t getting the proper support from home. These issues appear very early in the education system and such children are labeled as troublemakers and are quickly over looked.

Altogether I was pleased with this article and agreed with the points that Harvey made. The dropout and truancy issues don’t have just a one solution fix and that the problem is a jigsaw puzzle. I do believe that there are many pieces in this puzzle and that focusing on a few pieces at a time will help complete the bigger picture which is helping our youth.

Below is the URL for the article so that you can read it yourself. I really do think this is an interesting short read and highly suggest reading it!

http://www.exponent-telegram.com/opinion/columns/article_e9d86744-7ed4-11e2-9120-001a4bcf887a.html

A Glimpse into the Youth Court Alliance...

Ever wonder what type of training our Youth Court Alliance students receive?  Wonder what I mean when I talked about Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ?)  Read on...

Rethink the Juvenile Justice Process:

Listed below is an example of a case scenario, which is similar to some of the cases heard in Youth Court Alliance. To get a better understanding of just how different the Youth COurt Alliance process is from the traditional court system process, read the scenario and look at the different Outcomes for John.

-Example Scenario-

John is constantly missing his first period math class.  If he does go, he is always falling asleep. John doesn’t get a lot of sleep at night because lately his parents have been fighting every night; he doesn’t want the rest of the students to know that, so he doesn’t say anything.  He doesn’t like the teacher, Mr. Smith, because Mr. Smith makes fun of his inability to stay awake. For instance, when the teacher woke John up last time, he said: "Maybe if you didn't sleep in class you wouldn't suck at math." John feels like he is innocent and the teacher is unfairly picking on him.

Traditional Court system Outcome’s for John:

        John has missed more than three days consecutively.  His parents will be cited to go to court, unless they plead guilty and pay the fine.  In court, his parents will undergo scrutiny about the how they get John to school and the Judge may shift the responsibility for the truancy onto John.  If this is the case, John will be fined and/or his chances of obtaining a license will be suspended.   Failure to pay the fine could follow John into adulthood and show up on his credit record.  

        In the court system, John has broken a rule and must pay the consequences.  He will never be given the chance to explain his side of the story.  If he does, he is explaining his story to an adult who is far removed from the daily goings on of a school.

       The problem that made John late to class in the first place will never be addressed nor will a solution come about.  His parents will still fight (unless they change something), he continue to sleep poorly, and will struggle stay awake in class.  Further, he will have to somehow pay the fine.

        John will have to find a way to deal with his truancy on his own, without knowledge of the resources around him to help him.

Youth Court Alliance (Restorative) Outcome’s for John:

        John has missed three or more consecutive days of school, so he’s being referred to Youth Court Alliance, where he and his parents have to sit in front of a group of John's peers.

        John will be asked questions about why he is truant.  This is where he can give his side of the story.

      The Jurors will be able to assist John in confronting his parents and the math teacher.

      Youth Court Alliance will recommend programs to help John, (Family-group counseling, teacher-student meeting, tutoring), instead of making him pay a fine.

   The Jurors will have to give John at least one session of Jury Duty where he will sit with the Youth Court Alliance members and hear cases just like his.  This is to help him understand that all actions have consequences - while he may not be FULLY at fault for sleeping in class, he must take responsibility and give back his time.  It will also help him understand the effects that people's actions have on others as he hears the cases of other students in his school.

      Once successfully completing the Youth Court Alliance process, John will have the chance to become a Member of Youth Court Alliance, and help others like he was helped.  

   If you're a parent, where would you rather send your child?  Better yet, if this was YOU, where would you rather go?

Experience the Olympics!

The Olympics are a time of nations coming together and competing in different athletic events for the top three spots on the podium: gold, silver, and bronze. Although a serious competition among the world’s countries, newscasters, the athletes themselves, families of the athletes, and world leaders,talk about how this is not a battle or grudge match, but rather a chance to have friendly competition, strengthen ties, and bring people together to educate them on the different nationalities and their customs.

            This biannual opportunity is going on right now and waiting for you to experience its joys and educational merits. The coverage of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, England is a chance to learn about the host country’s background through the opening ceremony.  For the people who are actually there, it is a chance to visit another nation and interact with the people from around the world. Sitting at home you are still able to listen to the newscasters talk about the personal stories of the athletes and the sport itself, such as how long the sport has existed or how long the athlete has been preparing.

            If you do not have access to a computer or television to watch these activities at home then you can always try going to different restaurants or community centers that may have televisions so that you can be a part of the exciting competition. Go USA!

By Katie Lamb

Truancy Success in Queensland

In 2009, the Australian town of Beenleigh began to work against a known truancy problem within their schools. At the time, an average of fifty students a week spent their days “wagging,” the Australian term for skipping school.  A partnership was created between local schools, businesses, and the police department called the Beenleigh Together Against Truancy program.

 The new truancy program involved the schools’ administrators, a coalition of local businesses promised to help work against the problem, and a full-time truancy officer. Businesses that joined agreed to refuse service and report truant students to the police department. The new truancy officer traveled to areas identified as “wagging hotspots” or visited businesses that reported students. Students he found were returned to school. (Australia does not impose fines for truancy, but will withhold some forms of public welfare if a child is found truant multiple times.)

                Beenleigh is a small town located in the Australian state of Queensland; its total population is roughly 7,500 people. The town’s small size worked to its advantage. For one, the limited population allowed the appointed truancy officer to personally return students to school in a very direct method of combating truancy.  Our population here in York would have made this tactic unfeasible: York city itself has a population of nearly 44,000. The greatest benefit was that local businesses were easily united against truancy. By September of the 2009 school year, 140 businesses had signed on. The first year of the program saw an 80% reduction in truancy.

                Beenleigh’s story is a great example of how a community can come together to work against truancy. Although some aspects of the program may not work in other communities, a few of the concepts could apply elsewhere or here in York. For instance, businesses close to schools with high-truancy rates could be brought together for the purposes of identifying and reporting truant students. All community issues are best tackled by the community at large and Beenleigh applied this concept to great success.

By Derek Shaw

 If you’d like to read more about Beenleigh’s truancy program check out their website:

http://www.beenpcyc.org.au/Templates/truancy.html

Spring Grove class of 2020 starts out on the right foot!

The Spring Grove Area School District, in partnership with Glatfelter Co. and the Truancy Prevention Initiative, sponsored a team day for the 4^th grade students.  Currently these students attend three elementary schools within the district and will merge into a single 5^th grade class at Spring Grove Intermediate School for the 2012-13 school year.  This event offered a tour of the Intermediate School and several team building activities.  Students were assigned to mixed groups from the various elementary buildings.  Due to the growing drop out concern across the nation, districts and community business partnerships are collaborating to support students as they transition to the upper elementary and middle level grades.  Truancy issues often stem from a lack of connection to the school community, low self-esteem and difficulty making new friends.  The team day activities generated discussions within the groups related to working with others, diversity and acceptance.  The Spring Grove Class of 2020 is off to a great start!!!

Parents: Looking for summer activities?

It's summertime (obviously) and you know what that means- PLENTY of free time. This is usually highly desired, but if you have kids, free time can mean planning things to occupy their time. Older children can get a job, even if that is babysitting or lawn work, but younger children need activities that expend some of their energy or keep them engaged.
If it's hot out then try to do some water activities whether that may be going to Lake Redman to boat or canoe or trying a local swimming pool or even just setting up a sprinkler and making a fun game out of that. Just remember to get sunscreen on them-and yourself-and reapply every few hours!
If it's a dreary day with rain and high winds then stay inside and make a fort in the living room or spend a day alternating movies or tv shows with books and crafts. You can try baking something or having the kids help make a special dinner that night. Try to find little lessons in every activity or have them help out with tasks increasing in difficulty as they continue to accomplish more.
There are many websites dedicated to finding fun and creative activities for kids to do during any month of the year, but especially summer. Other parents can post on some of these websites and blogs. If you want to look over some of them to get ideas or post fun things that you have done in the past, check out www.pinterest.com; http://greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/68-summer-learning-activities-that-are-practically-free.gs; http://school.familyeducation.com/summer/family-learning/36089.html
You can also try googling a phrase like "fun and inexpensive learning activities for kids during the summer!" Remember to have a fun and safe summer and to keep your kids involved with interactive activities!
By Katie Lamb

Career Mapping........ for First Graders?

Did you know that half of all states require students to create an ‘Individual Learning Plan’ as early as middle school? ‘Individual Learning Plans’, also known as ‘Student Learning Plans’, are computer based programs that allow to students to create a portfolio of their work and grades, as well as guide them in selecting classes based on possible career paths. These programs are 100% controlled by the student and also allow students to research careers and organize their college search.

School officials are finding the purpose of these plans has become two-fold. Having a ‘plan’ for mapping and completing courses has helped ‘at-risk’ students to visually see the ‘road-to-graduation’ as a path set before them. Having made this plan and marked milestones along the way, students begin to develop a sense of personal accountability in terms of their school career. It can help these students decide a career path, even if college is not the goal for them. For college preparatory students, having a ‘student learning plan’ helps them to create a virtually limitless portfolio of grades, test scores, art work and any other information they wish to add. It also helps these students select the appropriate courses they may need based on possible career paths in which they have indicated an interest in. Often times, students will be prompted to enroll in ‘advanced placement’ classes based on a possible career choice. While student-led learning plans were often thought of as a ‘reform strategy’ in the past, state policy makers are beginning to tout the concept as way to drive career and college readiness.

Student-led plans are just beginning to gain some real momentum, though some significant strides have been made in terms of making program software available to all students and in some cases, mandatory.  Typically, students begin working on their ‘plans’ as early as middle school by taking career surveys which give students a broad idea of the kind of career path that might interest them. However, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., recently introduced a bill to pilot a project in which students beginning in 1st grade could start portable online college-planning and -savings accounts.

Still there are many issues that need to be addressed such as funding for software, licensing, technical support and training.  Policy-makers hope that by making these student-led plans mandatory, funding will be made available to better train educators on how to help students properly develop their plans use the software effectively. “Kids are saying the plans helped them to know the process and it challenged them,” says Shelly Landry the leader counselor in the office of secondary transformation in Minneapolis school district’s guidance and counseling department. ““It opens their eyes to careers they hadn’t considered and just the idea of going to college.”