Summer School Enrollment Up, Dropouts Down

Tools

Story Published: Jul 23, 2009 at 6:52 PM PDT

By Kyle Trompeter

HERMISTON - Sometimes, kids don't go to class. Someone has to deal with it. So who are you gonna call?

“We're calling home. We call the parents. We make the contact. We're being very aggressive to make sure parents are staying connected with the summer school program, and they're aware of how their students are performing,” said Hermiston Summer School Principal, Chris Demianew.

The school checks in with parents several times a week, keeping them in the loop on their kids’ attendance. They've had to make more phone calls than expected. Summer classes have seen record enrollment this year. Also bucking the trend are fewer dropouts.

“For the stats I've looked at, the dropout rate was 40 percent. If you work the math, we're nowhere near 40 percent dropout rate this year,” said Demianew.

Try a ten percent rate this year. That's with 160 more students. Some include the kids of migrant workers who can't attend during the regular school year.

“Even if they come for only three days, it's important for them to be here. It's three days of instruction. It's helping with their grades more than ever before,” said Home School Consultant, Carol Gilbert.

“This year, some of our most divisive parents in the past have called to say they appreciate the change. It's been great we've had feedback on how our kids are doing at summer school,” said Demianew.

For a district that got blitzed with staffing cuts, this is a breath of fresh air.

Current Weather

Current Temp 58.0 °F

A Few Clouds

Video

More Weather

Current Weather

More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.