State of Our Schools: Dropout Rates

Across North Carolina, students are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate. It is also a problem many of our local counties face each school year.

In New Hanover County dropout rates have been steadily increasing for the past few years.

In the 2004 to 2005 school year, 416 students dropped out. The next year, the number jumped to 435, and in the 2006 to 2007 school year, 466 students left school.

Louise Hicks is one of many local advocates working to curb the drop out trend. She serves as the executive director of Communities In Schools.

“Dropouts are climbing, behavior issues are climbing, juvenile crime is climbing,” said Hicks.

With the help of hundreds of volunteers, Communities In Schools provides our areas schools with drop out prevention counselors, suspension programs, and anger management classes.

Hicks said, “We’re seeing wonderful results from our programs, but over a scattering of schools. What we are doing now is going to be able to really focus our programs for entire school population and make a large affect on a whole school population.”

Right now, Communities In Schools provides services on a case-by-case basis. But with dropout numbers on the rise, even more needs to be done. Next year, the organization will have a representative stationed at seven sites throughout New Hanover and Pender Counties.

Williams Elementary, Virgo Middle, New Hanover High, and Lakeside High School were all chosen because of their exam performance, low attendance and behavioral issues. All of those factors play into a student’s decision to drop out.

“There’s a huge need in our community, and the school system recognizes that, as did we and that’s why we’ll work together and figure out how to tackle the issue here,” said Hicks.

Even though it’s still under construction, the WIRE center will be another Communities in Schools site.

The WIRE, or Wilmington Youth Center for Inspiration, Recreation and Education, will serve middle and high school students through tutoring programs, and gang prevention counselors.

WIRE program supervisor, Annie Adams said, “Now they will have a huge space where they can come and see that not only during the day do I have somewhere to go, but even after school and into the evening, there is a safe place for me to go and get some hope and resources.”

Communities In Schools is also working closely with Lakeside High School, an alternative school for students in New Hanover County.

Lakeside High School principal, Jerry Oates said, “We’re finding that a lot of the drop outs are these non-traditional students — students who have self-esteem issues. Academically they have it. The issue is they don’t think enough of themselves to go through the traditional model that we have established, that we are used to having.”

Come September, the school will not only have a new curriculum, but a new name too.

Lakeside will be known as the Mary Mosley Performance Learning Center, a non-traditional school to give at risk students a chance to succeed. The center will only open its doors to 100 students, who will each be paired with their own mentors.

“This is not another alternative program for students who just don’t have the drive to graduate. The students first have the drive to graduate, and the academic drive to complete graduation,” said Oates.

Communities In Schools plans to have their representatives stationed in those seven sites throughout New Hanover County by the next school year.