Committee Tackles Dropout ProblemEditor's Note: This is the first in a four-part series on the formation and administration of the Dropout Prevention Committee.
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Concerned with area graduation rates hovering around the 75 to 82 percent rate, a group of community and school officials last year formed a Dropout Prevention Committee.
Meeting twice a month since July 2009, the committee developed two objectives they hope will have an impact on local dropout rates.
At the high schools, the committee plans to put graduation coaches in place. A mentoring program at the elementary and middle school levels will encourage younger students to stay in school.
Ot Schroeder, agent with State Farm, said, "State Farm and the Department of Education got together and said we need to work on dropout rates."
State Farm approached its agents in every county and asked them to help put a committee together to work on the dropout rates.
Being a former educator, Schroeder said that was right up his alley. What really got him interested in taking on the issue was that the issue could be addressed at a local level. That also got others interested in being a part of the committee.
"We have some fantastic principals who came together on this committee who want to work on this thing," Schroeder said.
None of the school administrators are proud of where their graduation rates stand right now, Schroeder said, but they know they can improve the rates.
Schroeder said there will be about two graduation coaches each at Tippecanoe Valley, Wawasee and Warsaw Community high schools. The coaches will be paid a stipend through grant dollars, and they would work a couple of hours per day. They would work with about 15 to 20 students each in the first year to help the students progress toward a diploma. There would be one male coach and one female coach at each school.
The coaches would head up a committee for each student, including the coach, the student, the student's family, a guidance counselor, teacher and administrator.
"The coach would work with them in a group effort to try to encourage them" to stay in school, said Schroeder.
The committee started its work with zero dollars in its budget, Schroeder said. Last fall, the Kosciusko County Community Foundation provided a grant of $50,000. About $40,000 of that grant will be used to pay the graduation coaches. The full budget of the two objectives for the first year comes solely from grant dollars.
Schroeder said it is the committee's hope that eventually the school corporations may see a benefit to the graduation coaches and add them to their budgets.
The elementary school mentoring program, Kids Hope Mentoring, will be placed in rural schools where there aren't as many businesses and people around like in town and city schools. Ten different elementary schools will be chosen to take part in the mentoring program.
Because of screening and background checks required, Schroeder said there will be a greater start-up cost to the mentoring program.
The committee is partnering with Baker Youth Club to coordinate the mentoring program, which will include a part-time position at the club.
"In both of these things, we don't know how successful we'll be, but we have a very good group on that committee who wants to see it happen," said Schroeder.
