Carthage R-9 school officials have already ramped up a rather unique push this week and beyond to slow student dropout rates. Called Graduation Matters, created back in April by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the purpose is to entice students to stay in school and to graduate.
“It really is a problem that’s gotten bigger over the years,” said Carthage High School Principal Kandy Frazier. Graduation has always been paramount, she continued, “but it’s even more important now with the way the economy is.
“We’ve set graduating (every student) as our goal.”
Think of it, in a way, like the push in 1989 to hold post-graduation, non-alcoholic parties sanctioned by the school district to prevent graduates from becoming intoxicated and putting themselves in danger. Today, Project Graduation parties are the norm — 10 years ago it was a rather strange and kooky concept.
By the numbers
After falling for close to a decade, Missouri’s dropout rate bottomed out in 2003 — about 3.3 percent of students. Over the last five years, however, the annual rate began ticking back up and was at 4.2 percent for the 2007-08 school years. That’s more than 12,000 students who left school that year, translating to about 70 students dropping out each school day.
This year, Carthage R-9’s graduation rate was 82.9 percent — up from 78.6 percent in 2008 and 2007’s 73 percent total. While up, it’s still below the state’s 85 percent average.
Meeting and exceeding that state average is the district’s goal, R-9 Superintendent Dr. Blaine Henningsen said.
“When a child gets to be 5- or 6-years old, they are expected to go to school — period,” he said. However, “when they get to be 16- or 17-years-old, those expectations change — there isn’t that expectation for them to graduate and to move on to college. That’s what we need to change.”
There also needs to be a change in the way the school district deals with the students who are contemplating dropping out of school. Not all of those students — 55 of them in 2009 — dropped out simply because they were bored. Some disengaged because of a sick parent. Some dropped because they were forced to be the breadwinner, perhaps because of a pregnant girlfriend, or because they were living on their own and a part-time job simply wasn’t doing enough to pay the bills.
“We have to change and encourage that expectation gap,” Henningsen said.
How do they do that?
“The educational landscape has changed, Henningsen admitted. “Perhaps teachers will have to adjust things a bit to reach these kids that isn’t always during the traditional 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day.
Regardless, “We’ve got to be able to get through to these kids; to get them reengaged in school.”
Regional approach
More than 140 school districts are participating statewide. Locally, Joplin, Carl Junction and Webb City have joined forces with Carthage R-9 to form an alliance to help boost graduation rates inside all four districts.
This Southwest Missouri alliance — called “very unique” by Henningsen — is exploring enticing local businesses and other partners to help carry pro-education messages. The goal is to create a mindset — thanks to a barrage of information — to educate both students and parents about dropout graduation rates.
Graduation rates for the Carl Junction school district in 2009 was 83.9 percent, down from 87.5 percent from the year before. At Webb City, that rate was 84.1 percent, up from 79 percent in 2008. And in Joplin, graduation rates are the lowest among the floor at 75.7 percent, up from 73.5 percent.
Solutions are being considered at every level, from local communities to the state legislature. Earlier this year, the Missouri Legislature enacted a new law that requires students to stay in school until they are 17 or have completed 16 credits toward graduation. Previously, students could drop out at age 16.
Carthage students have or are currently participating in public service messages for television and radio. Local banks will slip in reminders for parents in the mailed bills. They also hope the same can soon be done with message incorporated with mailed utility statements.
“Anything we can do to get the message out and re-engage our students,” Henningsen said.
