EDUCATION
THE KEY TO RAISING
GRADUATION RATES
Career and Technical Education helps
students stay in school
BY KELSEY ANNE RANKIN
L
ty, which aim to lessen the load for busy
ane County, our high school gradu-
teachers and help engage kids across our
ation rates stink.
county’s 16 districts. Over the past several
Surely that’s not new news, but
years, the Lane Education Service Dis-
what is new is the approach our
trict has been expanding CTE courses and
schools are taking to not just pump
adapting the program to meet the county’s
up grad rates, but also to help kids give a
economic needs as well as its students’.
damn about their education.
“Every district is going to do things a
Perhaps the reason our high school grad
little bit differently,” says Heidi Larwick,
rates have lagged behind some neighboring
director of Lane Connected, a program
counties (not to mention they pale in compar-
that keeps high school programs aligned
ison to the national average) is because we’ve
with local college curriculum. She works
failed to put the students first. Programs like
closely with CTE directors, “so we’re try-
Career and Technical Education (CTE) are
ing to supplement what they’re doing with
working their butts off to change that.
more efficient practices.” Lawrick ex-
According to the National Center for
plains that the CTE program has been re-
Education Statistics, the national average
working more centralized efforts to part-
for high school graduation has lingered
ner with local businesses for the program
around 80 percent since 2013 and hit a
instead of putting the weight on teachers,
historic high of 81 percent in 2015. As the
counselors or individual high schools.
national average rose, so did Oregon’s —
Larwick says Lane schools have
however bleak the starting point.
roughly one counselor for every 350 stu-
The Oregon Department of Education
dents. When counselors have more work
reported in 2010 that our state’s overall
outside of school, she says, they have less
high school graduation rates stood around
energy for students — something that has
67 percent. By 2013, grad rates had climbed
overwhelmed districts in the past. She ex-
to 68.7 percent, and the number continued
plains that teachers and counselors will
to bumpily rise until we hit our pinnacle of
have more time to focus on their students
74.8 percent this past year in 2016.
as well as being able to provide them with
These rising rates include students of
more internship and practical learning op-
minority ethnicities, varying abilities,
portunities among local businesses part-
gender identities and English proficiency
nered with CTE.
levels.
The Eugene School District
reported that Lane County hit a
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE
72.4 percent graduation rate for
FOR ALL OREGON STUDENTS
the 2014-2015 school year. At
90%
the same time, our neighboring
Linn County districts graduated
84.8 percent of students, ac-
80%
cording to ODE. Lane County
is far more populous than Linn
(77.2 people per square mile in
70%
Lane versus 50.9 according to
the most recent census data) but
both counties have similar me-
60%
2014
2015
2016
dian incomes for households,
around $44,000-$45,000.
CTE has 69 programs in Lane County
One difference between the counties’
and is partnering with 25 local companies
grad rates is the number of programs of-
that have agreed to host internships, job
fered to the kids, especially CTE pro-
shadows and site visits for high school stu-
grams. Linn County districts offer a wide
dents this spring and summer. Most of the
array of CTE courses that range from the
programs focus on the growing technol-
arts to automotive work; the courses get
ogy industry in Eugene, but opportunities
kids involved with local companies before
in the arts, design, marketing and public
they graduate.
broadcasting are also available to students.
In short, CTE helps answer the in-
“There’s an element of getting kids ex-
famous question that every bored high
cited about something, and I don’t think
schooler utters: “Why am I learning this?”
they know enough about our local oppor-
Of course skipping class or zoning out
tunities,” Larwick says. “When you give
during a lecture is way more appealing
than sitting in a stale classroom with no
them something to dream about, they get
clear need for the information you’re be-
excited to come to school because they’re
ing taught by overworked and underpaid
learning about a passion of theirs.”
teachers.
Carlos Sequeira, head of Instruction,
Enter CTE’s new efforts in Lane Coun-
Equity and Partnerships (formally known
72%
18
February 23, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
73.8%
74.8%