Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Miller's dropout rate has plunged in past 3 years

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Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Miller's dropout rate has plunged in past 3 years
Staff turns students' excuses into opportunities
By Paula Caballero
Caller-Times
Dropping out of Roy Miller High School isn't as easy as it used to be.
   If the school staff has anything to say about it - and Principal Dick Peltz insists the staff will make every effort to have a say - the potential dropout will wind up back in class with a new sense of purpose. Or preparing for the GED exam. Or enrolled in an alternative school.
   Peltz, the principal at Miller for the past three years, has helped the school decrease its annual dropout rate from 7 percent in 1998 to 4.3 percent in 1999 and 1.7 percent in 2000.
   He said the big step in bringing that rate down was eliminating excuses.
   "Drop the cross. Only one person was allowed to carry it. That's how I deal," Peltz said. "I just think we use excuses as a cushion. Yes, we have pregnancy. Well, fine. Now let's have that baby and get back to school. We need school more than ever now."
   For every problem, whether it's pregnancy, family problems or financial difficulties, the staff at Miller tries to find a solution. The basis, Peltz said, is one-on-one attention for each and every student - a movement toward personalizing the school experience and education system.
   Student advocates

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Mike Reyes (seated), 18, and Brian Lewis, 16, work on an advanced project using an interactive computer program at Miller High School.

   "It makes a huge difference," said Monica Delgado, intervention counselor at Miller. "Students feel that we're approachable. At first, it's like, 'I'm the teacher. I'm way up here and you're down there.'
   "But now, (Peltz) has made it seem like it's home, and the kids can approach us at any time and not feel intimidated."
   Buc Family is an example of a program Peltz initiated that seems to have helped put a dent in the dropout rate. In Buc Family, a small group of students is assigned to one teacher and they meet once a week.
   "It's a small, nurturing group, in which a member of our staff becomes an advocate for the students," Peltz said. "As an advocate, the students have someone who stays strong, someone who says to everyone involved, 'This child must learn and I will personally see to it that this child does learn.' We teach advocacy and equity for all."
   Miller seems to have safety nets in place at almost every point a student can fall through the cracks. For example, Delgado said when older students enroll in school, staff members scrutinize their records to see if the students have dropped out before or if they may be at risk of dropping out.
   On the back end, before students withdraw from Miller, they must visit Delgado first.
   Giving back confidence
   "At first they just want to withdraw," Delgado said. "If anything has gone wrong, with attendance or grades, they say, 'I want to quit. I want to drop out.'
   "But once they find out there are alternatives - that they can still work, they can go to a school if they're pregnant where no one will stare, they can go to Buc Academy where they stay in our school but work on a contract system -then they start to feel a little bit better and gain the confidence they were losing." In between, the special features of Miller, a magnet school, help keep the students engaged. With the help of a technology grant five years ago, the school is equipped with state-of-the-art computers and video equipment.
   Junior Brian Lewis, 16, does not have a computer at home, but is an advanced computer student allowed to work on the school's finest computers. He is working on an interactive multi-media project for the upcoming Multimedia Festival on April 17.
   Parent facilitator

David Pellerin/Caller-Times

Miller High School Principal Dick Pelts (left) works on a campus action plan with technical adviser Simon Guerrero. Miller's aggressive intervention program for dropouts and potential dropouts has help to lower the school's dropout rate from 7 percent to 1.7 percent in three years.

   "I would rather spend the day here than be at home bored," Brian said. Jose Olivarez, parent facilitator, is the final safety net for dropouts. Olivarez tries to find the students who have dropped out without formally withdrawing. He calls parents and makes home visits, armed with solutions. He, too, tries to channel students back into school, whether that means adult education, alternative high school, GED classes or Job Corps job training. Peltz admits the staff at Miller can't save every student. He said this school year has been tougher than the last few, with mobility of students increasing. But it's not going to stop them from trying.
   "Give them as much hope as possible and set up an intervention plan," Peltz said. "Having a 10-minute conversation isn't going to help completely, but it doesn't hurt."


Staff writer Paula Caballero can be reached at 886-3758 or by e-mail at caballerop@caller.com

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