PROFESSIONAL
FACS Spotlight:
Dropout Prevention
More than one million students drop out of high school each year. Recent reports on this alarming statistic are not falling on deaf ears, as administrators and educators work fast to save the future of the many students who are at risk to leave high school before they graduate.
Stronger, Closer Relationships
One of this year's shining examples in the effort to prevent dropouts is Clover Park High School in Lakewood, Washington, where, according to a report that aired on ABC News in April 2008, graduation rates have soared from 39 percent to 70 percent in the past several years. The school used a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to divide students and pair them with the same teachers throughout their years at the school. According to the school's principal, John Seaton, this restructuring resulted in stronger, closer relationships between teachers and students. Now, when Clover Park students experience problems that might otherwise lead them to leave school, they are able to work through the problems with their teachers.
Schools that see limited funding on the horizon can take more moderate measures. Using a principle similar to Clover Park's some schools have created specific coaching or counseling roles for teachers. These teachers make a point of getting more involved with students who may be higher risk for dropping out, becoming a support system that may not be present elsewhere in the students' lives.
Retention-Building Legislation
Spurred by the increasing dropout rates, concerned professionals and legislators introduced Senate Bill 1920/House of Representatives Bill 3763, the Getting Retention and Diplomas Up Among Today's Enrolled Students Act, also known as the GRADUATES Act. The bill authorizes the Secretary of Education to "...establish a Secondary School Innovation Fund program awarding competitive matching grants to partnerships, which must include at least one state or local educational agency, for the implementation of innovative strategies to improve the achievement of at-risk students in secondary schools." It goes on to enumerate the types of retention-building activities that schools would have to implement to receive the designated funds. The GRADUATES Act was introduced in October 2007 and is still pending. (Read more on the GRADUATES Act).
Research on the dropout phenomenon, including how school administrators and educators can work together systematically to recognize and redirect students who may be heading toward dropping out, is building. "Identifying Potential Dropouts: Key Lessons for Building an Early Warning Data System," a white paper prepared by Achieve, Inc. and Jobs for the Future, is a comprehensive analysis of the subject.
Career Focus
For many students, FACS classes are a conduit to their future careers, giving them a strong incentive for staying in school. Teachers who reinforce the connection between FACS and the future with career-building lessons and activities stand a better chance of keeping students interested and engaged in their studies. Teaching materials can become key supports in this effort by providing these lessons and activities. Glencoe's Discovering Life Skills and Applying Life Skills programs are designed to inspire and guide FACS students toward meaningful careers in fields such as health, safety, home management, communication, research and development, child care, finance, home design, fashion, and food service. Both programs offer entire units dedicated to exploring career options and developing work skills.
Each of the 23 Discovering Careers features in the Developing Life Skills text includes examples of careers in the chosen field, plus suggestions of activities for students to do that are related to school, home, work, and the community.
