Students in danger of dropping out of school in Sarasota (FL) will soon be routed to a new school:
A special school will open this fall for 240 students in eighth through 10th grades at risk of dropping out because of poor standardized test scores. Plans call for small classes, individualized instruction, and counselors to work with community organizations and students on non-academic issues.
"We'll build a relationship between adults and the students," said Peggy Wiggins, the district's director of academic intervention. "We'll give the students services and support, and if outside help is needed, a social services worker is there to make the connection."
Apparently, all the existing in-school dropout prevention programs are not useful. But Sarasota's dropout rate is between 3.1% and 3.6% for students 16 and over. This seems, well, low (although it's higher than the state's reported 3.1%). It's hard for me to understand why this justifies $3 million dollars for a new school, when Florida is allegedly doing a good job of preparing students who stay in school for college. And the plan is to identify younger students, put them in the special school - then transfer them back to the regular high school after they complete 10th grade. If there are still problems at the regular high school, won't the incentive to drop out remain?
Posted by kswygert at February 24, 2004 11:14 AM