Money available to curb dropouts nationwide

Carson City School District has a goal: every student a graduate. A new federal grant program may help it get there.

An amendment added last week to an appropriations bill will set aside $10 million to schools nationwide to prevent dropouts.

"Nevada continues to have one of the highest dropout rates in the nation and it is a problem in communities across our country large and small," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who proposed the amendment. "My amendment provides $10 million in funding for grants to individual states and local school districts willing to establish dropout prevention programs."

Carson City Superintendent Jim Parry said he had not yet heard about the amendment but said he is sure the district could put the money to use.

"I could certainly see us using whatever money we would get to prevent dropout," Parry said. He said the district has an overall dropout rate of about 8 percent, and about 4 percent of seniors drop out.

He said he would like to see that number down to zero.

"A lot of people think that goal is kind of laughable," Parry said. "But you hate to give up on any student. Anytime you lose a student, it's a matter of concern."

The Nevada State Department of Education reported that the statewide dropout rate for the 1998-99 school year was nearly 8 percent, with 15 percent of Nevada's seniors dropping out.

Parry estimated that if Carson City received any of the funds, it would come to about $20,000. With that amount, he said the district could hire an additional English as a Second Language instructor or extend summer school for one more month.

"Ten million sounds like a lot of money but when it gets divided down by 50 states, there's not a whole lot left," he said. "We'll do what we can with whatever we can get."

Reid said the grants will be given to the individual school districts to allow control at the local level.

"The reasons that students drop out of school varies from community to community. What works in Nevada may not work in New York, West Virginia or Hawaii," Reid said. "These grants will encourage states and school districts to design innovative programs which can most effectively reach those students who are at the greatest risk of dropping out of school."

He said the districts will be awarded money based on the needs of that district.

"Dropout rates in the U.S. are higher among states in the South and West," Reid said. "The percentage of minority students who do not earn their degrees is also higher than the national average, especially among Hispanics and Native Americans. We need to directly target those areas and those groups which have the highest percentage of dropping out."

In Nevada, more males dropped out than females.

About 8 percent of males dropped out, while about 7 percent of females did. Hispanics had the highest dropout rate at 12 percent and blacks followed with 11 percent.

American Indian/Alaskan Natives held the third highest dropout rate at 9 percent. White students had a 6.3 percent dropout rate and the lowest rate was among Asian/Pacific Islanders at 5.8 percent.

Reid said that preventing dropouts also prevents future problems.

"Unemployment rates for high school dropouts are twice that of those with a high school diploma and they are more likely to receive welfare and other types of assistance," he said. "But the most shocking statistic in my mind is that more than 80 percent of our nation's prisoners are high school dropouts. If that doesn't prove there is a need for this bill, I don't know what would."