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Baytown reaches out to drop-out students
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| Volunteers Randalph Jackson, Robin Richards, Laura Frazier and David Muston take to the streets to speak first hand with students who have not reported to class since the start of the 2008-2009 school year. Inspired by the success of the Reach Out to Dropouts programs hosted by neighboring Houston ISD, Goose Creek faculty hope to make the issue of dropout students a concern for the entire community. |
By JOSH HARDWICK
When students choose to drop out of school they can usually expect a visit from their local truant officer. Few might expect to be visited at their homes by their own teachers, next door neighbors, and perhaps even the mayors of their cities.
That is the idea behind the Reach Out to Dropouts Walk, held for the first time, Sept. 6, in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District (GCCISD.
Inspired by the success of the outreach program in neighboring Houston ISD, GCCISD administrators sought a more personal alternative to the truant officer that would pair community volunteers with educators in an effort to impress upon former students the need to complete their education.
Shortly after the start of every school year in GCCISD it becomes the responsibility of Lisa Vaughan and other truant officers across the state to scour a list of the names of students who have not come to class.
First they ascertain whether some students have moved away from the district, entered private school or begun a GED program. After those names have been accounted for, the remaining students on the list are contacted in an attempt to convince them to return.
The process was not nearly as personal and effective as some might have liked, Vaughan said.
“I think with this program they will actually see that there is a community involvement with people that care about them. Usually when a truant officer goes to these children it’s just one-on-one. With a community effort the point is to show that people really care about their future.”
Thus, 40 teams comprised of about 240 volunteers gathered Saturday morning at Ross Sterling High School to kick off GCCISD’s inaugural walk.
Volunteers from throughout the community turned out , including Baytown Mayor Stephen DonCarlos and members of city council, local business owners and parents.
The plan is simple. Teams of about five volunteers led by one faculty member are given lists of students’ names and addresses – all of whom have been unaccounted for since the start of school.
The teams gol to the students’ homes and attempt to speak with both the students and their parents to ascertain why they haven’t returned to school, and to help them make the decision to do so.
David Yannotta, director of assessments at GCCISD, said that the main difference between the actions of a truant officer and that of the volunteers is in the showing of community-wide concern and solidarity for the student’s wellbeing.
“A big part of this is building a relationship with the child and parent, and explaining the benefits of getting them back here. I have never met one parent who was happy about their decision [to drop out] and didn’t fear that their child would do the same,” he said.
The goal of the walkers is to be as supportive as possible without being confrontational. Volunteers are encouraged to assuage any doubts the student may have about the difficulty in returning to school and to impress upon them the benefits of a high school education.
“If they say they have to work, then we will tell them about our night school classes. If they have a child then we tell them about our day care services. We try to make a counterpoint for every excuse they may have,” said Janci Alexander-Alfaro, coordinator of student outreach services at GCCISD.
Students who are not home at the time of the volunteers’ visit are left with a packet of information and phone numbers to contact in order to speak with a counselor or administrator.
Dropouts often experience great difficulty in life without a high school diploma, but their decision has ramifications that can affect not only affect themselves but their school district as well.
Each public school district is provided with a certain amount of state funding that is dependent on the number of students it retains each year, and each student that drops out results in the loss of several thousand dollars of that funding.
However, Superintendent Barbara Sultis said that she would prefer dropouts worry more about their own finances rather than those of the school district.
“We care about them being successful and we want them to understand that if you don’t graduate high school you tend to make a lot less money,” she said.
Perhaps no one takes this lesson to heart more than volunteer mother Ann McDonald, who shared the story of her eldest daughter’s struggle with her decision to drop out of high school.
McDonald’s daughter left GCCISD just one health credit short of graduation and thus faced several obstacles in her career. She would eventually finish high school, however, and is currently finishing up her teaching degree at the University of Houston.
McDonald said her daughter now plans to return to GCCISD to teach Spanish and sign language.
“School just didn’t work for her at first, but she didn’t let it ruin her life. Now teaching children and being a contributing part of the community is what she wants to do,” she said.
That is the idea behind the Reach Out to Dropouts Walk, held for the first time, Sept. 6, in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District (GCCISD.
Inspired by the success of the outreach program in neighboring Houston ISD, GCCISD administrators sought a more personal alternative to the truant officer that would pair community volunteers with educators in an effort to impress upon former students the need to complete their education.
Shortly after the start of every school year in GCCISD it becomes the responsibility of Lisa Vaughan and other truant officers across the state to scour a list of the names of students who have not come to class.
First they ascertain whether some students have moved away from the district, entered private school or begun a GED program. After those names have been accounted for, the remaining students on the list are contacted in an attempt to convince them to return.
The process was not nearly as personal and effective as some might have liked, Vaughan said.
“I think with this program they will actually see that there is a community involvement with people that care about them. Usually when a truant officer goes to these children it’s just one-on-one. With a community effort the point is to show that people really care about their future.”
Thus, 40 teams comprised of about 240 volunteers gathered Saturday morning at Ross Sterling High School to kick off GCCISD’s inaugural walk.
Volunteers from throughout the community turned out , including Baytown Mayor Stephen DonCarlos and members of city council, local business owners and parents.
The plan is simple. Teams of about five volunteers led by one faculty member are given lists of students’ names and addresses – all of whom have been unaccounted for since the start of school.
The teams gol to the students’ homes and attempt to speak with both the students and their parents to ascertain why they haven’t returned to school, and to help them make the decision to do so.
David Yannotta, director of assessments at GCCISD, said that the main difference between the actions of a truant officer and that of the volunteers is in the showing of community-wide concern and solidarity for the student’s wellbeing.
“A big part of this is building a relationship with the child and parent, and explaining the benefits of getting them back here. I have never met one parent who was happy about their decision [to drop out] and didn’t fear that their child would do the same,” he said.
The goal of the walkers is to be as supportive as possible without being confrontational. Volunteers are encouraged to assuage any doubts the student may have about the difficulty in returning to school and to impress upon them the benefits of a high school education.
“If they say they have to work, then we will tell them about our night school classes. If they have a child then we tell them about our day care services. We try to make a counterpoint for every excuse they may have,” said Janci Alexander-Alfaro, coordinator of student outreach services at GCCISD.
Students who are not home at the time of the volunteers’ visit are left with a packet of information and phone numbers to contact in order to speak with a counselor or administrator.
Dropouts often experience great difficulty in life without a high school diploma, but their decision has ramifications that can affect not only affect themselves but their school district as well.
Each public school district is provided with a certain amount of state funding that is dependent on the number of students it retains each year, and each student that drops out results in the loss of several thousand dollars of that funding.
However, Superintendent Barbara Sultis said that she would prefer dropouts worry more about their own finances rather than those of the school district.
“We care about them being successful and we want them to understand that if you don’t graduate high school you tend to make a lot less money,” she said.
Perhaps no one takes this lesson to heart more than volunteer mother Ann McDonald, who shared the story of her eldest daughter’s struggle with her decision to drop out of high school.
McDonald’s daughter left GCCISD just one health credit short of graduation and thus faced several obstacles in her career. She would eventually finish high school, however, and is currently finishing up her teaching degree at the University of Houston.
McDonald said her daughter now plans to return to GCCISD to teach Spanish and sign language.
“School just didn’t work for her at first, but she didn’t let it ruin her life. Now teaching children and being a contributing part of the community is what she wants to do,” she said.
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