GCS Special Friday Notes from Terry Grier, Ed.D.

February 7, 2008

State High School Annual Dropout Data Released

Today, the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction released its 2006-07 Annual Dropout Report.  Guilford County Schools’ (GCS) annual high school dropout rate of 2.99 percent is significantly below the state average, among the lowest in the state and was the lowest among the largest districts in North Carolina.  It is also believed to be the lowest dropout rate among the nation’s largest 50 school districts.

The following chart compares the GCS dropout rate to other large districts in the state and to that of surrounding counties.

Data analysis found that almost one-third (32 percent) of all dropout events continue to occur during the ninth-grade year with 25 percent of dropouts leaving in tenth-grade and 22 percent of them dropping out in eleventh-grade.  Dropout rates increase in frequency as students reach 16 years of age.  Seventy-eight percent of dropout events occurred between the ages of 16 and 18.

GCS high school dropout rate has almost been cut in one-half since the 1999-00 school year when it was 5.97 percent.  The district is a state and national leader in the Middle College High School movement; locating six middle college high schools for disconnected high school students on local college and university campuses.  These exciting schools form the foundation of “Zero Guilford,” the district’s national award-winning dropout prevention and recovery program.

Our dropout efforts continue to be a source of pride for GCS.  At the start of the 2007-08 school year, I took the unusual step of assigning each of my cabinet members to a high school and charged them with forming ‘Recovery Teams’ of counselors, social workers and other employees to identify students who had dropped out and to get those students back in a school setting that would be more conducive to their specific needs.  Following the initial recovery process during the first 20-days of school, each cabinet member now meets monthly with their assigned school administration and staff to review dropout and attendance data so that preventive/interceptive steps can immediately be taken.

Decreasing GCS’ annual dropout rate and increasing the four-year graduation rate were two goals given to me by the school board in 2000.  Our board understands that students who drop out of school have little chance for a bright future.  We must all stand committed to not being satisfied until no student drops out of a GCS school and all students graduate from high school within four years.

A special thank you is extended to cabinet members and their school recovery teams.  And, as usual, Gwen Willis and Richard Tuck from our Student Services Department and the teachers, counselors, social workers and staff who continue to do a great job in meeting the diverse needs of our children.