Comments on: Project Dropout: Revisited http://www.wbur.org/2009/12/29/project-dropout-revisited WBUR is Boston's NPR News Station, featuring NPR news and programs such as Car Talk, On Point, Here & Now, Only A Game and Radio Boston. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:31:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jack Burton http://www.wbur.org/2009/12/29/project-dropout-revisited/comment-page-1#comment-21719 Jack Burton Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:07:53 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/?p=13409#comment-21719 There is only so much a school system can do to prevent youths from dropping out. Most of these measures are implemented while the students are in the school environment. Unfortunately, it is poor home life that leads to most student drop outs. This is where the focus should be. There is only so much a school system can do to prevent youths from dropping out. Most of these measures are implemented while the students are in the school environment. Unfortunately, it is poor home life that leads to most student drop outs. This is where the focus should be.

]]> By: Bill Betzen http://www.wbur.org/2009/12/29/project-dropout-revisited/comment-page-1#comment-6334 Bill Betzen Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:44:04 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/?p=13409#comment-6334 The Dropout Prevention Two Step: The first step is to know dropout rates. An annually updated 10+ year enrollment by grade spreadsheet on every school and school district web site would do that, with graduation numbers included. From this spreadsheet a minimum of four separate dropout rate measurements can be calculated to show the current dropout situation. Then use this spreadsheet to track progress under step 2. The second step is to bolt a 500-pound gun vault to the floor in every secondary school lobby to function as a 10-year time-capsule. Each new class will write letters to themselves for the vault as they enter the school. They write about their life history and their plans for the future. Then, as they plan to graduate from that school, they receive back the initial letter and rewrite it with a clearer focus on their future in 10 years. They plan for a 10-year class reunion which will include speaking to then current students in the school about their recommendations for success. They are warned to prepare for questions from the decade younger students such as What would you do differently if you were 13 again? The first School Archive Project started in 2005 in a Dallas middle school with an 8th grade class that was the Graduation Class of 2009. Both high schools who received these students had the largest 12th grade class ever with their Class of 2009! Dropout rates are going down! Students are making it past that critical 9th grade! 11th and 12th grade enrollments in the 32 high schools in Dallas ISD are the highest on record! They are up 5% since 2005/2006. This is in spite of total district enrollment going down 2.5% during the same time. However 55% of this gain is from only two of the 32 high schools in the district, the two who received over 90% of all School Archive Project students. Realistically focusing students onto their own futures makes a very big difference! See www.studentmotivation.org for details on this project costing less than $2 per 8th grade student to run. The Dropout Prevention Two Step:

The first step is to know dropout rates. An annually updated 10+ year enrollment by grade spreadsheet on every school and school district web site would do that, with graduation numbers included. From this spreadsheet a minimum of four separate dropout rate measurements can be calculated to show the current dropout situation. Then use this spreadsheet to track progress under step 2.

The second step is to bolt a 500-pound gun vault to the floor in every secondary school lobby to function as a 10-year time-capsule. Each new class will write letters to themselves for the vault as they enter the school. They write about their life history and their plans for the future. Then, as they plan to graduate from that school, they receive back the initial letter and rewrite it with a clearer focus on their future in 10 years. They plan for a 10-year class reunion which will include speaking to then current students in the school about their recommendations for success. They are warned to prepare for questions from the decade younger students such as What would you do differently if you were 13 again?

The first School Archive Project started in 2005 in a Dallas middle school with an 8th grade class that was the Graduation Class of 2009. Both high schools who received these students had the largest 12th grade class ever with their Class of 2009! Dropout rates are going down! Students are making it past that critical 9th grade! 11th and 12th grade enrollments in the 32 high schools in Dallas ISD are the highest on record! They are up 5% since 2005/2006. This is in spite of total district enrollment going down 2.5% during the same time. However 55% of this gain is from only two of the 32 high schools in the district, the two who received over 90% of all School Archive Project students.

Realistically focusing students onto their own futures makes a very big difference! See http://www.studentmotivation.org for details on this project costing less than $2 per 8th grade student to run.

]]> By: Jon Shore http://www.wbur.org/2009/12/29/project-dropout-revisited/comment-page-1#comment-6317 Jon Shore Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:25:41 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/?p=13409#comment-6317 Boston Public Schools only recently started Credit Recovery courses, it's great but the BPS has to do more! One way to cut costs would be to allow those students, who wanted to graduate early, do so by taking online "credit retrieval" courses. Another way would be to have a summer school program, and an extended day program during the school year or on Weekends, that would allow students to “accrue credit” toward graduation. This would increase AYP rates because students would be graduating on time and increase MCAS scores because it would combat summer slump that happens with inner-city youth. Boston Public Schools only recently started Credit Recovery courses, it’s great but the BPS has to do more! One way to cut costs would be to allow those students, who wanted to graduate early, do so by taking online “credit retrieval” courses. Another way would be to have a summer school program, and an extended day program during the school year or on Weekends, that would allow students to “accrue credit” toward graduation. This would increase AYP rates because students would be graduating on time and increase MCAS scores because it would combat summer slump that happens with inner-city youth.

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