Feds to probe Nevada’s rate of dropouts

Terry Webster

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2000 | 11:30 a.m.

Calling it long overdue, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., has ordered a federal probe into Nevada's high school dropout rate.

In a Sept. 7 letter, Gibbons asked the U.S. General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, to study the causes of dropouts in Nevada and throughout the nation.

"Nevada has the highest dropout rates in the entire country," Gibbons wrote to David Walker, comptroller general. "It is my hope, that with accurate information on the current driving forces behind this disturbing trend, that Congress can work with our local and state governments to effectively address this serious problem. I believe that the assistance of the General Accounting Office in this endeavor is critical."

The study would provide Congress with recommendations for federal legislation to help combat the problem.

"This is a request that's long overdue," Gibbons said. "And I think it will give us very important information."

The Clark County School District, the nation's sixth largest, posted a 9 percent dropout rate in 1998-99, according to the Nevada Department of Education. Statewide, the dropout rate was 7.8 percent.

Like Gibbons, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has taken steps to help address the dropout rate. But she points to studies already conducted by the Clark County School District.

"The district has surveyed students in an attempt to determine why students are dropping out," Berkley said. "They have identified that many are dropping out due to family problems, personal problems or financial problems."

Berkley's concern led her to introduce legislation to establish an office of the U.S. Department of Education that would monitor local dropout prevention efforts and provide assistance to schools here and nationwide.

"I welcome the Congressman's interest in this issue," she said. "This issue is serious and pervasive. Any help he can give would be a great benefit."

Clark County School Board member Lois Tarkanian agreed that key contributors to the dropout rate are transiency and the availability of jobs that don't require a high school education.

"The dropout rate is too high," Tarkanian said. "There's no doubt about it. Anything that provides potential solutions would be welcome."

Gibbons acknowledged the local studies, but pointed out that they fail to address how to bring revenues to combat the problem to Nevada. The General Accounting Office study would do that.

The local studies mostly "tell that Nevada has a problem," Gibbons said.

He also said the intent of the federal study is to give local school districts a way to improve the dropout rate.

The General Accounting Office has not yet indicated when the study would begin.

According to the Nevada Department of Education, minority groups in the Clark County School District had the highest dropout rates in 1998-99, except for Asian students, who had the lowest, 6.4 percent.

At 12.4 percent, Hispanic students had the highest dropout rate in the district For black students, the rate was 11.4 percent, followed by 11.3 percent for American Indian students and 7.5 percent for white students.

The Clark County School District recently issued a report that said the dropout rate is inflated by the district's high transiency rate because the state classifies as dropouts students who cannot be located.

Terry Webster

covers education for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-4091 or by e-mail at terry@lasvegassun.com