How to Improve High School Graduation Rates
High schools with high dropout rates are failing to serve the students in their community. The key to increasing graduation rates lies in identifying what your student population needs and supplying it. Looking at graduation rates in a holistic way---by considering statistics, community issues, and the perception of school from the viewpoint of students---will give you insight that not every school administrator has. Keep your mind open to creative solutions to increase graduation rates, and your school will be well on its way to meeting the needs of students who tend to fall through the cracks.
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Instructions
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Disaggregate your data. Nationally, Hispanics account for a disproportionate number of students who drop out. You may see that you have a particularly high dropout rate for this group, or one or more other groups. Target the group(s) with the lowest graduation rate, and increase services to help them succeed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many Hispanic students fail to graduate due to language difficulties and family obligations. What can your school do to address such barriers to academic success, whether for this group or any other group on your campus? Perhaps implementing additional language support services and increasing parental involvement will help. Only you know the specific needs of your school community.
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Look at what is working. Sometimes, when focusing on what is wrong with a school, it is easy to overlook what is going right. Which students are succeeding, and what factors appear to be contributing to their success? Look at successful students from groups that traditionally have low graduation rates. What are they doing that you can encourage other students to do? Perhaps they have better study skills, more academic support at home and social skills that help them resist negative peer influence. These are things that can be taught or provided to every student.
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Solicit student input. If your school has a low graduation rate, your students will know why. Students are typically pleased to provide input as long as they believe their ideas will be taken seriously. Students may complain about seemingly superficial issues such as "mean teachers," and the dress code, but these complaints should be taken seriously. Engage in an ongoing dialogue with students and you'll find out which classes they enjoy and why, as well as what they perceive as obstacles to graduation.
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Provide credit recovery programs that are easily accessible to students. Credit recovery can take place inside of a regular school day, and can also be provided outside of school hours. Some online credit recovery programs allow students to access online work from home or the public library, assisting students who must work and are unable to take credit recovery classes.
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Open an alternative campus to help students who have special educational needs that might prevent them from graduating. An alternative campus can provide day care, operate during evening hours, offer flexible schedules and a smaller environment where many students may feel more comfortable and have fewer social conflicts.
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