DATE: Friday, September 12, 1997            TAG: 9709110570

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Education 

SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, Staff writer 

                                            LENGTH:  131 lines

LOCAL STUDENT DROPOUT RATE IS HIGHER THAN STATE AVERAGEPORTSMOUTH, THE ONE EXCEPTION, CREDITS ITS RETENTION PROGRAM FOR ITS SUCCESS.

Students dropped out of most of the region's high schools at a higher rate than the state average in 1995-96.

While 5 percent of ninth- through 12th-graders on average dropped out of Virginia schools that year, the rate was exceeded by every high school in the city of Norfolk, more than half the high schools in Virginia Beach, and one high school each in Suffolk and Chesapeake. Only in Portsmouth, where district officials credit an aggressive retention program, do the dropout rates stay below the state average.

It is a problem acknowledged by educators across South Hampton Roads, one they say they are working to correct, but don't have the perfect solution to yet. Educators say keeping kids in school is not just a matter of helping them with academics, but with helping some of them find day care for their own children, balance night school with a job, or connect with the right social service agency when problems at home spill over into the classroom.

The cost of losing these students has implications that affect them for the rest of their lives.

``Without a (General Educational Development certificate) or a high school diploma, a child cannot compete in our society except for service occupations or minimum wage jobs,'' said Jim McDonough, supervisor of vocational education for the Chesapeake Public Schools.

Regardless of the district, local and national experts agree there are certain characteristics common among dropouts including: high absenteeism, disenchantment with school - either because of lack of success, because the student doesn't feel challenged, or because he doesn't see the connection between school and the ``real world,'' - the need to work, and in the case of girls, pregnancy.

Eileen Rosas was 15 when her daughter was born. She continued classes at Green Run High School for a year before child care problems forced her to drop out. Rosas said she never wanted to leave school, but had no sitter for her daughter.

Now, with her day care situation resolved, Rosas attends classes at Open Campus, Virginia Beach's night high school, and is scheduled to graduate in June.

``I want to go to college, get a good job, so I can take care of her,'' Rosas, now 18, says of her daughter.

Minorities drop out at a higher rate than whites; students of low socio-economic status drop out at a higher rate than students from middle- to higher-income families. However, most students who drop out of school are white and middle class, according to the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta.

Technically, in the vast majority of cases, it is illegal under Virginia law for a student under 18 to drop out of school. School districts may pursue the matter in court, but rarely do. For state recording purposes, a student is dropped after 15 consecutive days of absence.

Solomon Chesson, 19, attended both Deep Creek and Green Run high schools before dropping out. Chesson admits to ``goofing off in school'' with grades that ranged from ``all right'' to failing. Chesson said he didn't think school was fun, so he left with the plan to get his G.E.D.

He's back now at Open Campus, having learned that a G.E.D. alone would have limited his job opportunities, and he's on track to graduate with a high school diploma in June.

``My grandparents have a job lined up for me, but I need a diploma to get it,'' he said.

Educators tend to concentrate time and attention heading off problems that could lead to dropping out through programs aimed at broadening students' options, offering flexible solutions to their needs, and increasing support.

In Norfolk, for instance, a program starting this year will bring in Norfolk State University undergraduate students to mentor middle and high school students who had previously dropped out but were ``retrieved'' over the summer. The NSU students will check in with the younger students daily, following up on their homework and attendance.

``Our information shows us that a good mentor will help students meet with success,'' said Dawn Hester, coordinator of student affairs for Norfolk Public Schools.

In Virginia Beach, there are alternative programs aimed at helping students earn a diploma or G.E.D. In addition, each high school will develop a strategic plan that may address curbing the dropout rate based on the unique needs of that school's students, according to Albert Williams, assistant superintendent for middle and high schools.

In every division, an effort is made to reach the students and their families within the first few days of a student's absence. Eventually, social workers or other administrators are dispatched to the student's home to evaluate the situation and to let the student know his options for returning.

Portsmouth school officials credit an aggressive effort to bring students back into the district for low dropout rates there.

William Stallings, youth risk prevention coordinator for the Portsmouth Public Schools, said that four student resource counselors try to locate students and help connect them with the services they need to stay in school - whether it's something the school system or another agency in the community provides.

``We do have an aggressive approach of going out to get them,'' Stallings said. ``We beat the pavement; we don't just send letters.''

Even with a strong outreach program, Portsmouth's numbers are low, particularly when demographic factors and high absenteeism are considered. At Wilson High School, which has a dropout rate of 4 percent, more than 60 percent of the students missed more than 10 days of school in 1995-96.

Portsmouth superintendent Richard D. Trumble acknowledged that the numbers might appear at odds, but said that the students weren't missing 15 days in a row. While the division wants students to be regular in their attendance, administrators find that even students who have missed so many days they fail a course still want to return to school, he said.

In Suffolk, an effort is being made to make sure that students who have failed repeatedly don't drop out because they've fallen behind their peers. Middle and high school students who are three years behind their age group may participate in a program that allows them to attend the school appropriate for their age. However, they are not promoted academically until they successfully complete each grade-level curriculum.

``We're not trying to isolate them,'' said Melinda Boone, coordinator of pupil personnel and testing in Suffolk. ``We want them to be a part of the total school program and to supply them with what they need to be successful.''

What the districts can offer students has its limits, however.

Norfolk's Hester spoke of one 17-year-old mother who wanted to return to school. The student lacked reliable child care and was not getting much support at home. Traveling to the city's night high school would mean a two-hour trip each way on a city bus, with a one-mile walk home on her return at 11 p.m.

``I`m still trying to find something for her,'' Hester said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Janet Shaughnessy/The

Virginian-Pilot

Graphic

Dropout Rates

Percentage of ninth-through 12th-graders who dropped out of high

school during the 1995-96 school year:

For complete copy, see microfilm KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT DROPOUT RATE HAMPTON ROADS

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