Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Friday, July 2, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
Walt Rulffes
Sun archives
- Graduation rate in state bad, but is it this bad? (6-17-2010)
- Ad points to accomplishments of high school seniors (6-16-2010)
- Long road to graduation: Faces of adult education (6-14-2010)
- Road to graduation runs through science test for Class of 2010 (5-27-2010)
- Clark County schools report decline in dropout rate (2-26-2010)
- Superintendent suggests ways to increase graduation rates (2-11-2009)
- Graduate rates too low, dropout rates too high (1-2-2009)
- Report: Dropouts more likely to become criminals (10-2-2008)
- Dropping out to go to work (5-15-2008)
- More questions than answers (4-05-2006)
- High school dropout rate shows a drop (2-24-2006)
- Family problems called big reason for high dropout rate (07-07-2000)
Given that just one person showed up for a recent forum to gather the public’s input on the search for a new superintendent, Clark County School Board member Deanna Wright was setting a low bar for Wednesday’s community meeting to address the district’s dropout crisis.
“I’m hoping for 25 people,” Wright said, as a modest crowd filtered into Del Sol High School’s cafeteria. “It’s summer, it’s 5:30 on a weeknight and just before a holiday weekend. We have to be realistic.”
By the time the doors closed for the 90-minute session, there were about 35 civilians in the room, and an equal number of district staff — including Superintendent Walt Rulffes. That was a good enough turnout for several administrators to flash each other a thumbs-up.
•••
Outside the campus’ main entrance, members of Del Sol’s girls basketball team were selling hot dogs, chips and bottled water.
When it came to estimating turnout, coach Devin Pines had been more optimistic than Wright. There were six large bags of hot-dog buns (144 total), and two cases of snack chips, each with 50 individual bags.
The good news was the supplies had been donated, so the girls could keep the profits.
The bad news was by 7 p.m., the team had sold only eight hot dogs. Most of the $70 take came from bottled water sales.
“Thank goodness for Vegas weather,” said Jasmine Louis, who plays center and will be a senior next school year.
The community meeting probably won’t make much difference, said Louis, since the parents and students who need to hear the messages most probably aren’t inside. Jasmine, a standout honor student, said too many parents and children “just don’t care enough — why bother going to school if you can go and get a good job in a casino without a diploma?”
Pines, who also teaches Advanced Placement social studies, confirmed that it’s sometimes an uphill battle. He’s responsible for as many 160 students. On open house nights, Pines said he’s lucky if a couple of parents trickle in.
•••
In the cafeteria were Josefina Medina and her 15-year-old daughter Oty, who will be a junior at Chaparral High School next school year. The district sent out an automated phone call to parents letting them know about the meeting, and Medina was one of the few to answer the invitation.
When asked what most concerned her about the state of public education in Clark County, Medina paused for a moment.
“Oh, there’s so many things,” she said. “I think peer pressure is one of the big ones. Kids do what their friends think is cool, not what’s the right thing for themselves.”
And that in turn can lead to a host of wider issues, such as poor school attendance.
Oty said she occasionally skips class, but it’s not for the reason most people might think. She’ll sometimes skip a class in a subject where she knows she has a good grasp of the material, because it’s the only time another teacher is available for extra help in a subject where Oty is struggling.
Oty said she sees her classmates get frustrated when they don’t understand the material. Some teachers are better than others at coming up with another way of explaining things if a student doesn’t understand the first time around.
“We need more good teachers who can teach in more than one way,” Oty said.
She plans on being a doctor or a teacher. She signed up for Chaparral’s free summer school to help get ahead. The first session was terrific, with the teacher combining the history of the Mayans with the required English curriculum. But the second-session geometry class, which was supposed to start this week, was abruptly canceled after funding for the program fell through. Oty said she was disappointed. The district’s fee-based summer program isn’t an option for her, so she’s facing two empty months until the next school year starts.
“There should be more opportunities for children who want to improve,” Oty said. “Not just for the children who are failing.”
•••
School Board members Wright and Chris Garvey lead a PowerPoint presentation, outlining some of the hard facts about dropouts and what programs are in place districtwide to address the issue.
In 2009, the district asked dropouts why they had quit, and the main reason was that they lacked the credits to graduate. The second most common answer was they didn’t like school. Clark County’s dropout rate has been on a downward trend, and stood at 4.6 percent last year. Minority students are more likely to drop out than their white classmates.
Then came the pop quiz.
Dale Erquiaga, the district’s executive director of community outreach, passed out 30 hand-held electronic voting devices. Questions based on the material in the presentation flashed onto the overhead screen.
Just 35 percent of the audience recalled that the district’s graduation rate had been 63.5 percent in 2006 — it’s reported at 68 percent this year, a figure that is expected to drop at least 12 percentage points when a new nationwide formula is used.
The majority of the audience — 60 percent — remembered the key components to dropout prevention programs: adult advocates, rigorous academic expectations, relationships and tracking students using data systems.
And when asked how much more a high school graduate is likely to earn over a lifetime compared with a dropout, 72 percent knew the answer: $322,000.
“Just for fun,” Erquiaga asked attendees to try their hand at three math questions from the state’s high school proficiency exam.
Let’s just say statistical measures, algebra and geometry better go on the review list.
•••
As district staff passed out large blank sheets of paper and colored markers, the audience broke into small groups for a brainstorming session. How might the district, parents and the wider community help reduce the dropout rate?
Sandra Harrison, who came to the meeting with her husband, B.J., served as her table’s stenographer. Their son, Brandon, is a junior at Coronado High School.
She carefully wrote out her tablemates’ suggestions: Smaller class sizes. More remedial programs. Partnerships with local businesses. Early identification of struggling students, so they can get help before the frustration sets in and they give up.
The Harrisons got the automated phone call. They also received an electronic message via the school’s ParentLink system, as well as a letter in the mail.
This is new territory for B.J. Harrison. He was an active participant in his son’s academic life when Brandon was at Henderson International School, a private campus that recently announced it would be closing.
“This is our first time dealing with public school,” said Harrison, who is retired from the Marine Corps. “We want to get as much information as we can, and be involved.”
Asked her opinion of the event’s turnout, Medina, with a worried glance toward her daughter, was succinct.
“This room,” she said, looking around at the many empty tables, “should be packed.”
"Few Parents Emerge to Help Solve Dropout Crisis"
Well duh! Who would have been taking their tops off at Cheetah's or serving drinks to lecherous tourists or parking cars for people at the Forum Shops? I mean geez people get your priorities straight!
Besides you silly School District don't you know that this is the 21st Century? No one takes responsibility for their children anymore! Why it's all Society's fault and outside influences. People don't send their children to school to learn. They send them there to be babysat for a few hours while mom/dad/uncle/foster parent/sister/brother/parrot (fill in the blank really with anything you like) goes off to pursue their careers and find themselves and think about things to chat with Oprah and Dr. Phil about.
Comment removed by moderator. Personal attack.
Many of the adults (some who are unfortunately parents) in this town cannot accept responsibility for their own actions. In rare moments when they actually communicate with the kid, they tell'em "you own the world!", "don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something", "don't let anybody boss you around" etc. Not doing your children any favors.
What a shame...Doesn't say much for the parents.
Race Car Diva and Babyboomer, right on!!!
PARENTS.
The #1 reason education SUCKS in Nevada.
If you don't care, THEY won't care.
If you don't push them, THEY won't push themselves.
If you are a loser, THEY will be losers.
The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Give a damn, parents; you'd be AMAZED what a difference it makes!!!
Kids, here's something to think about before you go around procreatin' like bunnies:
If you have even the slightest inkling that having children might put any sort of crimp into your chosen "lifestyle," DON'T HAVE ANY.
If you think that the time you, as a parent, should be spending with your children might cut into YOUR precious personal time, DON'T HAVE ANY.
If you have no interest in dealing with the numerous kinds of messiness, and I don't mean just dirty diapers, that come with having children, DON'T HAVE ANY.
If you ever find yourself thinking that you and your significant other of the moment can just take off to LA for a wild time 'cuz you think can dump the kid(s) on your mom with little or no notice for a week at a time, DON'T HAVE ANY.
Kids are not fashion accessories. Kids are not valid proof that you are attractive enough to the opposite sex that they want to have sex with you. Having kids most certainly does not prove that you are a responsible adult. Children are a chore, a responsibility, and your legacy to the world, and should be raised accordingly. If your children are a mess, what does that say about you?
My generation's done a remarkably crappy job of "raising" their children, and it's a shameful reflection on the people we've become. Please, take a look around you at the dysfunctionals the young of today have become before you start contributing to the problem through your self-absorbed, distracted indifference.
As many have stated here you have to many parents like vsestini in Vegas. They would rather post hate in public forums then take responsibility for the their own or their kids actions. Why get involved when you can spout nonsense all day on the Internet. These schools will not get any better no matter who is leading them or how much money we throw at them until parents grow up and start taking responsibility for their kids education.
No Mr. Vestini! NO, no, no...regardless of who is in control of the school board, PARENTS are in control of their children. Parents should have shown up. NO excuses.
Maybe they could hold these meetings when more parents are available. 5:30 on a weeknight doesn't sound like a good time. Most people are sitting in traffic about then.
How about holding them on a Saturday afternoon?
The reasons these early afternoon parent advisory meetings are poorly attended is obvious to anyone with a spoonful of brain matter: 1) 5:30 p.m. is the worst hour of the day for any meeting because that is a time when most job shift changes occur; 2) highways and freeways are the most congested as people go to and from work at that hour; 3) it is very hot in Vegas at that hour in the summer; 4) most families begin sitting down to evening dinner at about that hour and none would give up dinner for a school meeting no matter how important. Duh? Do you get it now Deanna Wright?
The big reason for the poor showing of public at this and other so called school input or advisory meetings is that 6 trustees on the current board have not listened to the public, and have no interest in listening to the public. Unlike Dr. Linda Young, the 6 remaining board members believe they know all there is to know about education, school policy, programs and operational procedures that it does not really want, need or cares what the public thinks. Deanna Wright is best remembered for her tactless demeaning of a citizen at a school board meeting when she shouted him down with the infamous words, "SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN." Carolyn Edwards ranks in the same tasteless, thoughtless and tactless company when she silenced a public citizen with, "Sit down You are interfering with OUR MEETING!"
The idiot parents and their children didn't show for the meeting...Shocker!! What do you expect from a community of moron adults who don't take responsibility for their own actions, let alone their stupid larva! They might even be too dumb to be strippers, dishwashers or porters! Congratulations...parents!! (Gag!!)
Like my dad used to say.."Water seeks it's own level" and clearly it applies to people as well.
With a fantastic record of not listening to public input, criticisms, comments, suggestions etc., this board has no credibility left. A 41% graduation rate, national ranking in education at the bottom of the national list leaves little optimism that things will improve soon.
While irresponsible parents are certainly a contributing factor to low attendance, drop out rates, academic achievement and poor graduation attainment it is the Board of Trustees and district administration that must assume the brunt of the blame. Spending millions of federal dollars on consultants, mentors, etc and little on hiring fully certified and licensed teachers is their fault and ultimate responsiblity.
This was nothing more than another PR stunt by a bureacracy that everyone knows will ultimately act in their own self-interest at the expense of the children and of the community. Until the system is radically changed the outcomes will remain basically the same.
This is a "Well, duh" headline.
Presumably, the parents whose kids are likely to be dropouts are likely to be part of the problem themselves. And if somebody involved recognized what a bad time this was for a meeting, then WHY DID THEY SCHEDULE IT THEN? This is a metaphor for how the whole district runs: We won't seriously and effectively handle problems, we'll just institute programs or pretend, like "Gee, many of our students are failing. What should we do? Let's pass them so their parents don't get mad."
"School Board members Wright and Chris Garvey lead a PowerPoint presentation, outlining some of the hard facts about dropouts and what programs are in place districtwide to address the issue."
What a waste of time. So they blabbed about the district's fabulous response to dropping out, then gave a quiz. Did they give parents some concrete tips on how to help? Doesn't sound like it - because they don't know how to effectively help, which is obvious from the dropout rate.
The fact is that the students must put in the time outside of the school day, and many won't. If the parents won't make that happen, the board certainly can't. Until those who run this district get real about parents and call a spade a spade and make it clear that education must extend beyond school hours in order for students to succeed and stop letting whining, hostile parents force grade inflation on teachers, then nothing's going to change.
For the parents' part, how great that about 35 showed up. They obviously want to know what they can do to help. They probably won't ever go back to such a gathering after what appears to be a failure on the part of the board to inform them. (How would the board know? They aren't teachers or principals.)
By the way, Halibut, great post. Too bad none of them will read it.
TO TEACHER: I don't know how long you have been teaching, but if you don't know it, you soon will learn that parents will not put up with homework more than 30 minutes long per class, nor will they tolerate homework on holidays, vacation time, etc. They will demand that their darlings be given ample time for sports, cheerleading, song leading, dancing, etc.,etc. And God help you teacher should you expect all work to be turned in on time or face the consequences of a reduced grade or a "zero" on the assignment (oops! I forgot the CCSD has 'Zero work = 50% work policy)...just like every money pay job in the world!
TEACHER if you expect the district to uphold some kind of high standard for the students and parents to follow you are either blnd, foolish and not very knowledgeable about education in this distict. In all likelyhood you will be told that you may have too many D and F grades and that you must 'adjust your grading, expectations and standards' to accomodate the discrepencies in student abilities...in other words, ease up and grade easier...you expect too much of these kids! Your assignments are too tough, lower your expetations.
Remember as a teacher you must motivate and enrich their minds as well as also improving and advancing their personal morale, egos and self-images...
Less than half of low-income, African American, and Hispanic children read at grade level according to the NAEP 4th grade reading exam. According to Education Week, less than 1/3rd of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans will graduate on time with a standard high school diploma.
And so some of you people are suggesting the reason why this happens is because, low-income, African American and Hispanic parents are just bad?
Give me a break, there is so much more going on here than you care to think about.
The major reason why results are bad is because the quality is bad. The quality is bad is because we have an unaccountable, uncompetitive bureaucratic system of K-12 education that focuses on jobs for adults rather than education for the students. Fortunately, both candidates for governor recognize this and want to do something about it.
http://www.writeonnevada.com/2010/06/dog...
"School Board members Wright and Chris Garvey lead a PowerPoint presentation, outlining some of the hard facts about dropouts and what programs are in place districtwide to address the issue."
I can tell you right now that these 2 losers did NOT create that PowerPoint preso.... and Deanna Wright cannot spell "Microsoft."
If Wright wants to stop kids from dropping out, she should just show a picture of a loser.... and then present her picture.... Enough said......
It is the teachers' job to tell students they have to graduate from high school. Teachers also have to start being neutral about college. They have to tell students DON'T borrow money to go to college. College may not help you to get a job, but it will put you into colossal debt.
Unless Wright has that meeting in spanish, most parents won't know what she's talking about.
manfromuncle1 said:
"Teachers also have to start being neutral about college. They have to tell students DON'T borrow money to go to college. College may not help you to get a job, but it will put you into colossal debt."
Wrong Answer - Contrary to some peoples belief, ignorance is NOT bliss.
In America you pay for what you don't know.
If you think a college education is expensive - try going through life without one.
I like your common bape702. Where's the incentive to go to college when there are fire fighters in this town are making more than college educated professionals? I'd wish the Board would implement common sense things and not bow to the pressure of any union. Classroom overcrowded? Don't build more school or put up portables, put two teachers in the classroom. Not enough Administrators to roam the hallways between classes? Hire security guards. Implement longer class days at 8:30 instead of 7:00 in the morning for high school. There you go - did you need a meeting at the most inconvenient time of the week for that?
Dropout prevention takes two steps.
The first step is dropout rate transparency. Every school should have a multi-year enrollment by grade spreadsheet online with graduation numbers for each year.
High dropout rates seen with such transparency will initially make people angry, but it gives us a place to start. We then can track progress from data that is already being collected but is simply data not made visible in this format online for US public schools.
The second step is to understand that our students must want to stay in school for the right reasons, not because the classroom is an effective detention facility! Students must be focused on their own futures in as concrete and physical a way as is possible.
To achieve this focus a Dallas middle school started the School Archive Project in 2005. It is a 10-year time capsule and class reunion project. It involves a 350-pound vault bolted to the floor in the school lobby to function as the 10-year time-capsule. The School Archive holds letters 8th grade students write to themselves about their history and plans for the future. Students can place several letters into their envelope for the vault. In addition to their letter to themselves about their history and plans for the future, they can include letters from their parents, or a teacher, about their dreams for the student.
At the end of the year, before students go on to high school, there is a small ceremony wherein students pose in front of the School Archive with their Language Arts Class holding their sealed letters for a photo. They then place their letters inside the vault.
Students receive a copy of this photo with information on the back about their 10-year class reunion. They are reminded that they will be invited at that 10-year reunion to speak with then current 8th grade classes about their recommendations for success. They are warned to prepare for questions such as; "Would you do anything differently if you were 13 again?"
Thinking of answering such a question in 10 years helps students realize the value of current school work. They must build their own futures. Nobody is going to do it for them.
The first students to write letters for the School Archive graduated in 2009 as members of the largest 12th grade class in over a decade! The Class of 2010 again set graduation rate records! This project has now spread to 6 schools within Dallas ISD. It is a simple project helping teachers do what teachers have always done, focus students onto their own futures.
At a cost that is about a dollar per child per year, this is a project all schools should be involved in. It only requires one dedicated teacher as project manager who is also interested in motivating students to write more and to better understand the flow of time and history.
Bill Betzen
The School Archive Project
http://www.studentmotivation.org
(It is requested you share any improvements to this system you may develop.)
So the only one's there were getting paid to be there, duh! Thats why they don't hold it on the weekend because they are not on the payroll then which shows they don't care. The school distict has made such a mess of everything and then they try to blame parents for not solving the problem the administration created. Any parent that has had to work with school administrators knows how difficult that is, administrators DON'T listen they only dictate! If anyone is to blame for this it is the people getting paid to avoid these types of problems "administrators" for the most part and not the parents.
First of all, dropout problems should be handled from school to school. Administrators in individual schools should stress attendance and demand attendance. These kids just did'nt dropout all of a sudden. The students have done exactly what they have wanted for years. Parents who have let their students continually cut school, should have been prosecuted. Administrators who do not follow district policy or a new formulated policy to curtail absences should be fired.
We have a school board who lack the experience and educational backgound to run a school district. I believe other than Linda Young they should resign.
Rascal you are exactly corrrect! Just what is the the attendance policy of the school disrict? Does each school have a different policy or is there one that covers all? It seems incomprehensible to me that an attendance policy is not fully enforced. State law requires students attend school to a certain age. Now, if that is subverted then the district officials are in direct violation of state and should be fined or jailed like any other citizen breaking the law.
No one will ever make me believe that there are so few administrators available or that they are so incredibly busy that many could not be assigned to track down serious attendance offenders among students. What the hell are we paying these people for any way if it is not to educate the children? The board is so incompetent that they leave everything to the administration to control and resolve when they should be the ones directing the district. If Sheila Moulton, Chris Garvey, Deanna Wright, Carolyn Edwards,Terry Janison and Larry Mason don't know what they are doing, what to do, or how to do it they should definetly resign.
Chris Garvey and Deanna Wright presented a Powerpoint presentation to 30+ parents about the ills of dropouts. Big deal! Who prepared the Powerpoint presentatin for them, it certainly wasn't these two because together they could not present a Powerpoint program on how to prepare and bake a cake! They don'tknow enough about dropouts and attendance in the first place but were spoon fed this baloney by the central administration. Again, the administration is feeding the trustees whatever it wants presented to the public.
Thank God we will at least get three new trustees in November. Moulton and Mason will be gone with the wind becuse of term limits, and Edwards stands a snowball chance in Hell of getting re-elected; the people will enact their own term limits on Edwards on election day. Maybe, just maybe we will get three new people with some higher degree of ethics, morals and integrity to begin to repair the damage done over the past decades.
I believe that parental (or other responsible adult) encouragement and involvement is the lynchpin in overcoming the egregious dropout rate. To "encourage" parents and adults to influence youth to stay in school, maybe there should be legislation introduced that reduces or removes altogether any governmental assistance for anyone who has dropped out of school. You could bet your sweet bippy that parents faced with a reduction in government dollars would find a way to keep their kids in school.
Neutral: I didn't say don't go to college, I said don't borrow money to go to college. The business model of taking out a student loan to go to college and then spending the rest of your life to pay off your debt is a horrible plan that no longer makes any sense. If you don't have the money, then take one college class at a time. Or just get an associates degree at a community college. Or consider stocking shelves at CVS or Wal-Mart--that's better than getting into trouble with Sallie Mae. Teachers should be warning kids that a college degree does not come with a job guarantee--now even some RN's are getting into trouble with their student loans. Did you see the documentary "College Inc."?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/...
Both of my kids are out of school now but I've talked to other kids still in high school and I was shocked what I heard. There is no discipline in high school to really speak of , the bullys make it miserable for the others and the lunch should be illegal to serve. There are very few teachers at the high school level who really care about the kids anymore. You can't discipline when they're bad and you can't hug em when they're good, which is bulls#t. You have to show support to these kids and these fricken parents who don't care should have thier kids taken away from them. If the kids were shown support they'd feel a lot better about staying in school.