2011_______________________________ News__________________________________ 3
Poverty increases high school dropout rates
C harlie C raft _______________
One of "America's Best
High Schools" and an
"Oregon Exceptional School"
are just two of the awards
West Linn High School
received in 2010. In 2008, the
West Linn-Wilsonville School
District had a dropout rate of
0.9 percent, one of the lowest
in the state. In contrast, the
Portland School District had
a dropout rate of 9.6 percent.
High school dropouts
have become an epidemic
in the U.S., with nearly 1.2
million students failing
to graduate from high
schools each year. Federal
policies such as the Bush
Administration's "No Child
Left Behind" initiative and
the Obama Administration's
"Race to the Top" have failed
to change this staggering
statistic.
One statistic says that
students between the ages
of 16 to 24 are seven times
as likely to have completed
high school if they come
from the highest income
level than those who come
Figure 1 -Event dropout rates o f 15- through 24-year-olds who dropped out o f grades 10-12,
by fam ily irKom e:* October 1972 through October 2000
n n n ?4 %m m s mo 1902 i 984 tm nm 1990 1992 1994 19% tm 2000
Year
Graph courtesy of U.S. Department of Commerce
Students of lower income are more likely to drop out of school than students coming from a family with
a higher income. The government has attempted various initiatives to curb dropout rates over the past 30
years with little success. The West Linn-Wilsonville School District cut its 2006 dropout rate in half in 2008.
disadvantage appears again,
albeit in a different form;
the graduation gap between
whites and minority groups
can be 40-50 percent,
meaning (in some areas)
white students are nearly
twice as likely to graduate
from the lowest income
level. This statistic suggests
that students coming from
the lowest income families
are at a direct disadvantage.
The fact that high school
students come to schools
with an advantage or a
as students from minority
groups.
In Clackamas County, in
which West Linn-Wilsonville
School District is located,
11.7 percent of children
live below the poverty
line, while in Multnomah
County, in which Portland
School District is located, the
number of children living
below the poverty line jumps
to 18.1 percent.
West Linn-Wilsonville
School District has had
massive success reducing
its high school dropout rate,
but the district is located in a
county in which the average
income is over $60,000.
Michele Olson, guidance
counselor, said that level of
wealth can affect dropout
rates in different ways, but
many of the problems stem
from a lack of support from
home.
This lack of support can
stem from parents who are
unemployed or who work
two jobs or who have many
children, according to Olson.
"Drugs and alcohol and the
lack of support students
have from their parents are
also some possible reasons
for a lack of support from
home," said Olson. But,
"Community involvement
helps [reduce] dropout
rates".
More summer school options considered due to new requirements
C hrisann K im
Starting this fall, all current
freshmen and sophomores
are required to take World
History (Gold), U.S. History
(Green and Gold) or AP
U.S. History, Civics and
Government and Economics.
The number of credits needed
for graduation is still the
same— 48 total. The number
of credits in each subject
area has remained the same.
The three additional social
studies requirements were
not added to the previous
six credits, but the courses
have been
changed
within those iHk. six
required
credits. Current
sophomores do not
have to take another
semester of U.S.
History since they are
already taking a full year
U.S. History class.
Summer school has
become an option for students
to eliminate requirements.
Credit recovery and
core and wellness
classes are available
for students wishing
to be proactive with their
schedules. Summer school
is important for students
that have failed any courses.
There is no wiggle
room for failing
courses.
"I'm taking
Kickboxing so
III
I can take band
next year and so I don't have
to take a wellness credit,"
Emma Brown, sophomore,
said. "It’s a good idea (to take
summer school) so that you
are on track and you can
do what you want during the
school year."
Morning classes include
Algebra, Biology/Life
Science, two English 9-12
classes, Algebra Review,
Healthful Living (juniors and
seniors only), Kickboxing/
Health, Trigonometry,
Wellness 1 and PBC
Wellness/The Nia Technique
(class times vary). Afternoon
classes include Biology/
Life Science, History/
English hybrid, U.S/World
History, Wellness 2 and PBC
Wellness/The Nia Technique
(class times vary).
Students who
are behind
in their
credits are
WMwmÈmk
: : "
at risk of not
being able to
graduate
with
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their class because they lack
the necessary number of
credits to do so. If students
have failed a class or dropped
out, summer school is a wise
choice. Recovering credits
is vital in order to graduate
with the required amount
of credits. They are able to
catch up with their credits
and eventually be on track
again.
Students who wish
to be ahead of their
credit planning
can also consider
summer school.
¡^Taking classes
over the
summer
allow
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;
free up a spot in your
schedule during the coming
year, without having to
arrange your school schedule
around the classes you need
to make up.
While WLHS offers
summer school classes,
some students have found
independent online classes
over the summer to be
another option. Tara
Galloway, sophomore,
will be taking an
online class through
Brigham Young
University in
order to be
able to take
more social
studies
classes.
"I'm taking physics online
through BYU because WL
doesn’t offer it any time
other than during the year, ”
Galloway said. "It is all about
the better scheduling and use
of my time. I have to take it
because I will still need to fill
that credit, and colleges like
to see the three core science
classes."
To students like Galloway
or those who wish to be
proactive and free up a spot
in their schedule, taking
courses online through
colleges/universities can be
advantageous. It frees up
more room in their schedule,
enabling them to take more
desired or required classes.
Other colleges that offer
online high school courses
include Portland State
University, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and The
Center . for Distance and
Independent
Study / U ni ver sity
of Missouri.
WLHS summer
school costs $200 (for
in-district residents;
$250 for out-of-district
residents). All classes start
on July 5 and end on July
29. PBC Wellness/The Nia
Technique starts on July 12
and ends on Aug. 25.
"I loved it," Shannon
Hardman, sophomore,
said. "It gave
me a chance
to accomplish
something
academically while still
connecting with friends
and enjoying my summer."
Graphic by Patrick Sluiter