Schools seek ways to reverse dropout rate

Franklin County school officials are taking a closer look at the reasons for the district’s persistently high dropout rate, which last year was the highest in the state.

In a Florida Department of Education report issued in November on the data from the state’s 67 counties, Franklin County schools posted a dropout rate of 5.4 percent, more than double the state’s 2.3 percent average.

This means that about one in every 18 high school students withdrew from school last year, without transferring to another school, home education or adult education program. This can include withdrawal due to court action, expulsion, nonattendance, or medical reasons.

The dropout rate marks an increase over the previous year’s 2.0 percent rate, and is slightly worse than the 4.6 percent dropout rate five years ago. Still, during that five-year interval, the rate has been as high as 13.3 percent.

“In the past I’ve had students tell me there’s nothing here for me to work towards,” said Superintendent Nina Marks. “They’re not making the connection that to transition into adult life they need the piece of paper that they have completed a basic education.

“It’s a very real concern for me and we are working on trying to rectify the situation,” she said.

An examination of the numbers shows that the dropout percentage last year was slightly worse among whites, at 5.8 percent, than it was among African-Americans, at 4.9 percent.

But, in terms of the percentage of incoming freshmen who eventually earn some type of high school diploma, whether it be a standard diploma, special diploma or GED, the numbers were slightly worse among African-Americans than among whites.

In its report, the Florida Department of Education provided data on three ways of measuring graduation rates: one used by the federal No Child Left Behind program for reporting purposes, one used by the state of Florida since 1998; and a third established by the National Governors Association (NGA).

The NGA formula, which factors in standard and special diplomas but excludes GEDs, was adopted by the Florida State Board of Education as its calculation rate in Sept. 2009. This will mean that the district’s graduation rate, not including any students who later earn GEDs, will be a factor in the new formula used to grade Florida high schools.

The three graduation rate calculations showed that Franklin County students are graduating at a rate anywhere from 1 to 8 percent better than the state average.

And it showed that the district’s graduation rate last year, which was between 78 and 86 percent depending on which calculation was used, was the highest percentage in the last five years.

In fact, the calculations showed a vast improvement over last year’s numbers, of anywhere from about 24 to 28 percent, depending on the measurement.

The reason for this is that while too many Franklin County students are dropping out of school, an increasing number are returning to earn their GED degrees through the county’s literacy program or other means.

Marks said the district’s attendance officer, Karen Smith, follows up on students who drop out when they turn 16, with guidance counselor Diane McGrath having them provide more detailed information on their plans.

Smith said any student between ages 16 and 18 must have a parent’s signature in order to withdraw from school. Students are asked whether they plan to pursue a GED, homeschooling or some other educational alternative, and in the event they do not later have proof of enrollment, Smith can tag their driver’s licenses, which can prevent them from driving. The law does not apply to students age 18 or over.

“I give them maybe two weeks at the very most to prove to me they have enrolled in some kind of program,” said Smith.

Marks said that while McGrath is able to glean information from students who withdraw, she would like to do more in terms of exit interviews.

“Habitually, they turn 16 and we don’t ever see them anymore,” said Marks. “Maybe what we need to do is go straight to the source and find out from the kids what they think. We don’t understand it.”

Marks, a former middle school teacher and dean, said one reason for students dropping out is that some, having failed in an early grade, are two or three years behind their classmates by the time they get through middle school.

“They mature faster and they’re older than other students and for whatever reason they lose interest,” she said. “We are also addressing that. We’re trying to document why they feel like they don’t need to come to school.”

Marks said a stepped-up effort will be made this month, talking to students individually and determining what type of academies or vocational offerings, such as health care and construction, may need to be expanded.