Making Each Child a Success Story: Destination Graduation

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Making Each Child a Success Story Destination
Graduation

• JPS District-Wide Fall
• Parent Conference
• August 28, 2008

Presented By Mr. Donnell Bell, Division
Director, Counseling Dr. Sheril Smith,
Director, Office of Dropout Prevention Mississippi
Department of Education
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The Major Issues

• Students Reasons for dropping out of school
• Classes were not interesting 47
• Missed too many days and could
• not catch up 43
• Spent time with people who were
• not interested in school 42
• Had too much freedom and not
• enough rules in my life 38
• Was failing in school 35

(The Silent Epidemic Perspective of High School
Dropouts, 2006)
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MISSISSIPPI NOTESTHE IMPACT OF DROPOUTS

• ACADEMIC
• Approximately one school bus full of students
  drop out of school each day in Mississippi
  (approximately 13,000 per year).
• The lack of basic academic skills cost employers
  and colleges 116 million.

• ECONOMIC
• The estimated lost lifetime earnings in MS for
  one class of dropouts totals over 4 billion.
• More than 1.5 billion would be added to the
  states economy by 2020 if students of color
  graduated at the same rate as white students.

• HEALTH CARE
• MS would save more than 121 million in health
  care costs over the course of the lifetime of
  each class of drop outs.
• If all students had graduated from HS the state
  would see a savings of 117 million annually from
  Medicaid.

• CRIME
• The states economy would
• see a combination of savings and revenue of more
  than 93 million in reduced crime spending and
  increased earnings each year if the male high
  school graduation rate increased by just 5.

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Brief Overview of the State Plan

• Three Overarching Goals
• Increase the graduation rate to 85 by 2018-19.
  Current graduation rate 73.8
• Decrease the dropout rate by 50 by 2012-13.
  Current dropout rate 15.9
• Decrease the truancy rate by 50 by 2012-13.
  Current truancy rate 31.8

Based on the SY0304G09 4-Year Cohort
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How Can I Get Involved?

• Understand the dropout crisis in your community.
• Who drops out in our community?
• Why do students in our community drop out?
• Are our schools organized to reduce dropouts or
  do they inadvertently help create them?

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How Can I Get Involved?

• Organize a Sustained Community-Wide Campaign to
  End the Dropout Crisis.
• Create a community-wide compact to end the
  dropout crisis
• Make sure that the necessary resources flow to
  strategic needs
• Provide human resources
• Volunteer in schools talk to students, teachers
  and dropouts

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When families are involved, students are more
likely to . . .

• earn high grade-point averages and scores on
  standardized tests
• enroll in more challenging course
• pass more classes and earn more credits
• attend school regularly
• display positive attitudes about school
• graduate from high school and enroll in
  postsecondary programs, and
• not get involved with alcohol, drugs or violence.

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Tips for Parents Top 10 Ways to Help Students
Succeed in School

• Let your child know that you value education as
  important to his/her future.
• Set aside time every day for homework, even if
  your child doesnt have any.
• Limit the amount of time your child watches
  television and plays video games to no more than
  one or two hours each day.
• Help your child use problem-solving skills in
  difficult situations at home and at school. Know
  your childs friends and their families.
• Praise good behavior.

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Tips for Parents Top 10 Ways to Help Students
Succeed in School

• Maintain contact with your childs teachers
  throughout high school.
• Monitor school attendance.
• Encourage your child to seek out extracurricular
  activities.
• Help your child explore career options that
  interest them and the education needed to be
  successful in those careers.
• Let your child know that individuals who earn a
  high school diploma are likely to earn twice as
  much each year compared to those who dont have a
  high school diploma or equivalency.

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How to Help When Theres a Problem

• If your child is not doing well or is beginning
  to have behavioral problems in school
• Discuss your concerns with your childs teachers
  and counselors.
• Identify effective strategies to address
  concerns.
• Decide, as a group, what can be done to help your
  child, and what new skills or behaviors your
  child can learn.
• In some cases, a tutor can help a student who has
  fallen behind.
• Sometimes, a childs personality may clash with
  that of the teacher or another student. Meet
  directly with the teacher to determine if there
  is a problem or if there has been a
  misunderstanding.

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More Ways to Help When Theres a Problem

• Monitor your childs attendance and school
  performance.
• Concentrate on your childs goals. Instead of
  focusing on why he/she is unsuccessful in school,
  have your child identify his/her future goals.
• If you think your child may have a problem with
  drugs or alcohol, contact the school guidance
  counselor or a substance abuse counselor, help
  line, or organization for information and advice.