More cuts in dropout rate eyed

Kris Hill

Friday, Jan. 12, 2001 | 10:59 a.m.

Free summer school and more evening classes are among Superintendent Carlos Garcia's ideas for continuing to push down the dropout rate within the Clark County School District.

Garcia and other school officials presided at a press conference Thursday to officially herald the declining dropout rate. The decline, reported by the Sun two weeks ago, appears to be placing the district in a position to finally improve on what for years has been a nation-leading negative statistic.

For the first time in a decade, the dropout rate has shown a decrease, from 9 percent in 1998-1999 to 6.9 percent in 1999-2000.

Garcia credited high school counselors with doing a better job of identifying students who would stay in school if enrolled in alternative programs.

A variety of programs are in place to help students who may be thinking about dropping out. Garcia offered suggestions on Thursday for other programs, including free summer school and more evening classes.

District staff, school officials said, will also work on developing partnerships with businesses, particularly in the gaming industry, because the No. 1 reason students drop out is because they would rather work.

Garcia hopes that Las Vegas businesses that hire young people will either employ fewer teens or make it possible for them to complete their diploma while working.

The district has also begun targeting middle school students who are in trouble, said Maria Chairez, director of the district's Secondary Success programs. Using student-designed software, the school is now showing students who are considering leaving school all of their various options.

Plans are also in the works to offer Saturday classes in which students will spend time using the Internet with the help of staff to do schoolwork.

"Incorporating the technology will individualize the curriculum," Chairez said.

New programs are necessary because there is still room for improvement, Garcia said.

The district's goal over the next few years is to lower the dropout rate to 3 percent, Chairez said.