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In a report issued today by America’s Promise Alliance entitled, “Cities In Crisis” written by Researcher Christopher Swanson,  suburban school systems graduation rate’s are higher than urban school systems.  Could it be that suburban school systems spend more money on the system; parents are better educated and are more focused on educational achievement;  per pupil expenditure is higher; teachers are better paid and have better working conditions?

According to the report,  Detroit has a 24.9% graduation rate. According to the Macinac Center, where the graduation rate is 24.9%, spends $3998 per student (1998-1989 school year).  In Mesa Arizona, where according to www.greatschools.net $6,342 per student and has a 77.1% graduation rate (a 63% dollar difference.)  While dollars alone will not explain the difference of academic success, the other factors mentioned above will help explain part of the difference of academic success.

I am looking forward to the day when the next researcher will compare the differences in success comparing a Chevrolet and a Lexus.

This week’s Education Week (3/12/2008, p. 4) reported that the West Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a functionally illiterate high school graduate who can only read on the 3rd grade level.No Child Left Behind Legislation and increased states standards have thrown aside the curtain on students who graduate without the necessary skills to enter the workforce or go on to higher education.  The court seems to be saying that it is the responsibility of school systems to insure that the graduates of its high schools have the capabilities to do work at the graduate level and not read at the 3rd grade level.

I was privileged to deliver a keynote and a breakout at the Western Canadian At-Risk Conference.  Here is some of the feedback.

“Franklin is upbeat, positive, and I appreciate his humor and research based data.  He speaks with knowledge and passion in such a manner that his audience is entertained, enriched and most importantly rejuvenated and hopeful.  I left each of his sessions carying the lightness of optimism.”  Ann Wandler, Counselor

“Smart, practical and real life understanding of what is going on in schools with real practical solutions.”  Shelly Velsink, Educational Assistant

“Franklin’s experience on the front lines is real and valuable to share with all educators.”  Jillian Marino, Assistant Principal

Franklin promised us a session that would be informational, inspirational, humorous, solve the world’s education problems and answer our questions.  He totally delivered.”  Elizabet Shen, Principal

The more risk factors a child faces, the more likely they are to drop out.

1. Attendance
2. Grade Point Average
3. Standardized test scores
4. Number of grade retentions
5. Number of discipline referrals
6. Educational Level of parents
7. Special Education Placement
8. Free and Reduced Lunch Program
9. Number of school transfers
10. Reading and Math Scores
11. Ethnic and gender distinctions
12. Language spoken at home
13. Number of school suspensions
14. Interest in school
15. Participation in extra-curricula activities
16. Pregnancy/teen parent
17. Number of counseling referrals
18. Family status (broken home, single parent family, family size, merged family)

Source: The National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University (NDPC)

Educators believe that they love to read and children do not. Yet they have a hard time explaining the success of the Harry Potter series. Children like adults like to read what they want to read.

Who amongst us has read their computer-operating manual? Or their instruction form from their 1040 Instructions for their income tax? We, like children like to read what we like to read. Children do like to read. How else can you explain the Harry Potter phenomenon?

I can remember what short story turned me on to reading. It was Frank Stockton’s “The Lady or the Tiger”? Can you remember what short story, novel, non-fiction book made this kind of impression on you? Why not explain to students your favorite book or short story, or author?

What one book, which you can obtain for free, do ALL teenagers want to read? It is the instruction manual needed to get a driver’s license. Maybe we should teach reading to reluctant readers using this book. In addition, driver’s manuals also have an assessment that measures comprehension. My math and science teacher friends tell me that there are math and physics concepts that can be used in the driver’s manual.

Teachers can put copies of the instruction manual in the back of the classroom along with old copies of “Car and Driver”, “Sport’s Illustrated”, Glamour”, “Teen”, “People”, “US”, “Seventeen”. Old copies of these magazines can be obtained from the school library or the public library. In addition, newsstands return the covers of these magazines for credit, to the publisher and generally throw out the rest. Write a letter to the publishers and ask if you can obtain previous copies. In the letter explain the purpose of your request and tell them they have the ability to build new readership. Encourage the parents of your students to contribute to your library of magazines.

This posting is from my new book, “152 Ways to Keep Students in School:  Effective, Easy-to-Implement Tips for Teachers” to be published by Eye on Education, April 30, 2008.

Whenever the everyday burdens of the job get you down; whenever you get depressed; whenever a student, parent or supervisor picks on you; whenever you forget why you became an educator; I need your to read this poem and remember.

The Bridge Builder
By Will Allen Dromgoogle
(1860 – 1934)

An old man, going a lone highway
Came at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim
The sullen stream had no fears for him.
But it turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting strength with building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day
You will never cross the chasm, deep and wide –
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head,
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said
“There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way
This chasm that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pit-fall be,
He too, must cross in the twilight dim
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.”

We know that there is a correlation between poverty and students dropping out. Students may have to work or take care of younger siblings as parents need two or more jobs to support a family. The Census Bureau released a list on Wednesday of the 70 largest school districts of students who lived with a family in poverty in 2005. The top 10 appear below. If you wish to know your city’s percentage send me an email to [email protected]

#1 Cleveland 39%

#2 New Orleans 38%

#3 Detroit 38%

#4 Fresno 35%

#5 St. Louis 35%

#6 Milwaukee 33%

#7 Philadelphia 32%

#8 San Antonio 31%

#9 Atlanta 31%

#10 Houston 31%

There are four major causes of students dropping out of school:
a.    The child him/herself
b.    The family situation
c.    The community they live in
d.    The school environment

In order to prevent students from dropping out of school, we must attack the causes listed above.  Some of them are out of our control.  For example, we cannot address the community they live in or in most cases, their family situation.  But we can address the choices they make and the school environment. One of the ways of doing so is for educators to ask a serious of tough questions. (More)

How inviting a classroom environment is there for the student?  Are the walls painted in “happy colors” or are they drab institutional gray or green?  Are your bulletin boards filled with student work, left blank or with commercial advertisements?

Are all students encouraged to learn? Has the school created different classes for students – those designed to pass and those designed to fail?  Those who will go on to college and those who will drop out.  What role can you, as a classroom instructor, play in overcoming this paradigm?

How many students start in your school or system, graduate?  Does the school track their progress through the system?  Are “safety nets” built in for those who are identified as at-risk?  What “pillars” support these safety nets?  Are you one of these safety nets?  Do you know how to get additional assistance in helping students graduate? (Is there additional counseling, mentoring, after school learning activities, service-learning projects designed to connect school to the world of work? As you track, is the largest reason for kids leaving school, “miscellaneous”?

How many students who dropouts are actually pushed out?  (Students who are told, by word or action, “I do not want you in my class” or “I don’t need you in my school.”)  How close to graduation are students who dropout?  Do they need one credit or ten?  What has the school done to help them make up the credit? What role can you, as a classroom instructor, play in overcoming this paradigm?  What is done to support the “psychological” dropout – the child who is physically in the school but mentally is miles away. What role can you, as a classroom instructor, play in overcoming this paradigm?