“Our philosophy is that no dropout is acceptable,” says Dan Jamison, West Albany High School Principal. “It’s our mind set.” The school offers at least three successful programs to reduce dropouts:

• A self-contained academy program, where students attend most of the day before venturing out for electives or other classes in the afternoon. A “cadre” of three teachers maintains close relationships with students. The academy will grow to 40 students next year.
• Jamieson replaced the automated attendance calling system, which tracked truancy, with a new twist: “I have 30 parent volunteers who come in two at a time to make calls to parents of any kid who isn’t in class,” Jamieson says, noting the program is funded by a grant from Cellular One. “We get a read-out of missing kids each day; the program also increases communication with all parents.”
• Adopting freshmen. If a student fails one or more classes, has several absences - any risk factor - Jamieson sends a personal letter to the parents. A volunteer mentor is assigned within the school, which has an immediate impact. “The key is for a caring adult to make contact, usually an employee of the school,” Jamieson says. Early data shows progress, since the school has gone from a dropout rate of 5.9 to 5.6 percent and expects a bigger drop by Oct. 2002. “We’re laying foundation now, but it’s critical to follow them through four years,” Jamieson says.

“Another key is to get kids involved in activities,” Jamieson says, noting the school offers clubs in rocketry, horse riding, skateboarding and other activities. The school also offers Spanish language instruction to staff to help communicate with Hispanic families.

Century High School, Hillsboro  [Top]

Century High has learned to engage its Hispanic teenagers through activities. Century High School offers a girls’ dance program and a drama club for Hispanic students. Parents come to watch their children perform - and because they’re a “captive” audience, ESL teachers chose this time in a “non-threatening, community” atmosphere to share food, talk about the importance of high school attendance and academic success, according to Principal Dawn Montgomery. She notes a projected enrollment next year of 220 ESL students at Century - 20 percent of the school’s population. “My staff give lots of extra time on their own to make this program work,” she says. Gayle Speech-Marion is a good contact for more information, 503-844-1451.

Hillsboro also has a WINGS program aimed at all at-risk students by providing “small communities” of students and teachers within the school. To increase Hispanic teachers, the school uses Portland State University’s Pathways Program to encourage instructional aides to get teaching licenses.

Morrow County  [Top]

The Port of Morrow on the Columbia River at Boardman is boosting the region’s economic development with new industry and agriculture - bringing in more migrant families to fill new jobs. Boardman’s “under age 18" population is the highest in Oregon, at 38 percent, and at Sam Boardman Elementary, 65 percent are Hispanic students. Superintendent Bruce Anderson is hiring bilingual instructional aides because the region lacks enough qualified ESL teachers. He’s looking into extending the school day and year; plus “sheltered” classrooms at high school to provide a smaller, close-knit environment. Morrow County provides a summer migrant ed program. Like many districts with a high population of migrant families, the district faces the dilemma of losing students whose families move back : Up to 100 kids will leave school in the fall and come back two months later.

“Every community is unique; you can’t have a canned approach. It’s a matter of boards and educators being committed to doing what’s right,” Anderson said. “We also need a better understanding of their culture.” When the last census was taken in 1990, Sam Boardman didn’t even have an ESL program. A good contact for further insight is Principal Susan Tolar, who was principal at Sam Boardman Elementary for 20 years and has seen the dramatic cultural shift. She can be reached at 541-481-7383.

Jeff Sanders, Jefferson County School Board Member  [Top]

“I have a deep concern that the Hispanic population is under-represented in local decision making groups such as site councils and budget committees in our area,” says Sanders. “We must somehow learn to bridge the culture gap. The Hispanic culture in our area often chooses not to get involved because they don’t trust the majority culture. Establishing trust and communication is the first step. I joined an NSBA discussion group and posed a question on this topic, and from Wisconsin to Alabama, I got the same concerns and questions. They said, let us know when you find out! Each culture has a value system we must understand first, you cannot separate that from the people you want to serve. I don’t have the answer, but if we don’t deal with it, there will be a day of reckoning for all of us. Just look at the Census figures and how the populations have changed in our top 20 cities.”