TUTORIAL PROGRAM TO HELP 14 AT-RISK CRAIG STUDENTS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993                   TAG: 9301070422
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Charles Stebbins Staff
DATELINE: NEW CASTLE                                LENGTH: Medium
TUTORIAL PROGRAM TO HELP 14 AT-RISK CRAIG STUDENTS
Fourteen Craig County students who are in danger of dropping out of school have entered a tutorial program designed to improve their grades.
This program is new in Craig and is being financed by a $9,500 Virginia Dropout Prevention Grant from the state Department of Education.
School Superintendent Dallas Helems told the Craig County School Board Tuesday that the 14 students were picked from a pool of 25 identified as potential dropouts because their weak grades.
The coordinator of the tutorial program, school principals and teachers selected the students.
Barbara Winstead, program coordinator, said only 14 were selected, because the parents of seven students did not respond to the school's notice informing them of the program, and the parents of four others declined to enter their children in the program.
Winstead said the program has 15 tutors who work with the students in their weakest subjects - usually reading, writing, math or spelling.
After hearing the report, James Cady, chairman of the school board, commended all those involved and said it appeared to be one of the school system's best. He said he hopes it will have a "snowball" effect and attract more at-risk students in later months.
It is a bit ironic that Craig has the program this year, Helems said after the meeting. dropout prevention grants have been available from the state for a number of years, but they go to localities with the highest dropout rates.
Helems said Craig has applied for a grant for several years but never qualified because its dropout rate was too low. But in the previous school year, he said, the county's rate inched up to about 4 percent, which was high enough to qualify it for a grant.
On another matter, the School Board announced it will start preparting the school budget for the next school year Jan. 20. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Craig County High School auditorium. - CHARLES STEBBINS

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB