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Monday, March 26, 2001
How one area high school slashed the dropout rate

By Jeremy Schwartz
Caller-Times
KINGSVILLE - In 1994, almost half the students in the Santa Gertrudis and Driscoll independent school districts dropped out of high school.
   Because their small districts had no high schools, students were bused to Kingsville or Bishop where they often felt out of place in schools that were considerably larger than the ones they grew up in.
   According to officials from both districts, not a single student has dropped out since then, as 40 and 50 percent dropout rates have been reduced staggeringly to zero.
   The Texas Education Agency says 1.9 percent of last year's seniors dropped out, but local officials maintain the dropout rate remains nil and ascribe the difference to clerical errors.

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

Students (from left) Gisela Rodriguez, Dominique Garcia, Noby Lara and Vanessa Vasquez attend Academy High School in Kingsville.

   What's changed over the past seven years is the creation of a non-traditional high school located on the campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where small classes and a family atmosphere are making every student feel part of something, officials say.
   Called Academy High School, the school serves 158 students from Driscoll and King Ranch as well as transfers from Kingsville, Bishop, Benavides and Banquete. More than half the school's students are listed as economically disadvantaged by the state.

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

Seniors Stephen Rodriguez (left) and Sammy Escobedo study maps at Academy High School in Kingsville. The high school has dramatically reduced the droupout rate for students from two area school districts.

   "Probably the most important thing in terms of saving kids is to know them personally, to know their problems," said Principal Grace Everett. "At bigger schools, the teachers don't know what's going on with every kid in school. Here, the teachers aren't afraid to show they care."
   Most dropout prevention specialists agree that more one-on-one interaction with teachers and a sense of belonging can convince students on the edge to stay in school.

Academy High School - At a Glance

Opened: 1994
Location: Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Mission: Primary high school for students from King Ranch and Driscoll, as well as applicants from other area schools.
Demographics: 158 students - 75 percent Hispanic; 25 percent Anglo; and 56.6 percent economically disadvantaged.
Dropout data: No dropouts in classes of 1998 and 1999. School officials say Academy has never had a dropout, thought the Texas Education Agency shows two in 2000.

   That was certainly the case with Joe Riojas, 19, an Academy High School senior. As a student at Kingsville's H.M. King High, Riojas was involved with drugs and gangs after his parents separated, and planned on leaving school. When a relative told him about Academy, he decided to try it, though he was dubious.
   "When I came here, I was still thinking about dropping out, but then it got easier and I started earning credits," he said. "Here it's a friendly environment. Teachers sit down with you, they're more friendly. You don't have to be scared of asking them questions."
   Teachers at Academy are carefully screened since administrators are looking for people who can develop such relationships with the students. Several haven't been able to take the long hours and sometimes hectic scheduling and returned to more traditional high schools.
   In some ways, Academy High School resembles an alternative high school, as students are able to work at their own pace on individualized coursework. Instead of individual desks, students work in clusters at tables. It's not uncommon to have exams held outside. Students can miss a class they're ahead in for a few days to concentrate on a class they're having trouble with. And students can even walk across the street and take university classes if they want to.

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

Student Joe Mayo (middle) reads a magazine at Academy High School in Kingsville. In the foreground is Rebecca Vasquez, and in the background is Allyson Jones. The high school focuses on students' individual needs in a successful effort to prevent dropouts.

   The school has a strong emphasis on extracurricular activities, like sports, drama and ROTC, all of which are designed to make students feel like part of a team.
   It also has a strong emphasis on technology and its entrepreneurship program teaches kids how to build, maintain and sell computers and install local area computer networks, including those used at Academy High School.
   Students learn skills such as marketing and accounting that can help them get jobs or earn college credit.
   When students begin having problems or voice the possibility of dropping out, the response from the school is swift and thorough.
   "First we give them a tongue lashing," said Everett. What follows is a series of conferences with teachers and parents.
   "We hear the child out," she said. "The child always knows we all care. We genuinely care if a child drops out."

Staff writer Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 886-3779 or by e-mail at schwartzj@caller.com

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