Hundreds brainstorm how to reduce dropout rate
Zahira Torres / El Paso Times
El Paso Times
Hundreds of parents, educators and students gathered Saturday with one purpose -- to keep children in school.
After attending a statewide "Graduation Guaranteed" summit last year, which was sponsored by the Intercultural Development Research Association and the League of United Latin American Citizens, local administrators decided to develop a conference that would call for unity in helping to decrease El Paso's dropout rates.
"Just the fact that it tries to address the problem makes a difference," said Jesus Jimenez, a prevention specialist for Canutillo Independent School District, who focuses on encouraging students to stay in school and avoid using drugs. "It allows us to better approach the problem and take steps to help students stay in school."
Focus groups at the Enfoque Education Engagement conference Saturday at the Ysleta Cultural Arts Center discussed strategies to improve the educational environment at individual schools.
Suggestions included implementing more hands-on curriculum, developing advisory committees, assigning a mentor to smaller groups of students and offering additional after school programs to help students who are at risk.
"We have to do our best to give these children positive reinforcement," said Lori McClure, a parent whose son attends Del Valle High School.
In the past 20 years about 2.2 million Texas students have left school before graduating, according to the Intercultural Development Research Association.
"It's surprising how many things we are learning about the dropout rate," Veronica Barrera, a sophomore at Austin High School, said as she read through a large notebook of information.
Barrera was part of a focus group that pinpointed problems -- including disinterested administrators and teachers, peer pressure, drug use and uninvolved parents.
Officials said that while El Paso's dropout rate has decreased 7 percentage points over that past 10 years, more has to be done.
"It is progress but if we continue at this rate it will take 50 years before we are graduating 100 percent of students," said Maria Robledo Montecel, executive director of the Intercultural Development Research Association in San Antonio, Texas.
Robledo Montecel said progress is a result of student engagement, quality teaching, parental involvement, effective curriculum and adequate funding.
"I think as parents we have to be unreasonable in our demands for quality education for our kids," Robledo Montecel said.
"We have to say enough is enough. We need these resources to help our children succeed. A high school degree is just a minimum that you need nowadays."
Saturday's conference was sponsored by the University of Texas at El Paso's Center for Civic Engagement, Communities in Schools, Upward Bound and Ysleta Independent School District.
Zahira Torres may be reached at ; 546-6156.
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