Educators walk to reconnect with dropouts
Suburbs // Fort Bend
Some districts tackle absences with technology, while others still prefer shoe-leather approach
Leah Binkovitz
1of4Terry High School Principal Vera Wehring, social worker Dawn Byrd, and Assistant Principal Joey Pineda spent a rainy Saturday reaching out to students who haven't returned to school in Rosenberg.J. Patric Schneider/FreelanceShow MoreShow Less
2of4Lamar CISD social worker Dawn Byrd, Terry High School Principle Vera Wehring, and Assistant Principle Joey Pineda walk the streets in a organized dropout walk to reach out to students who didn't return on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, in Rosenberg.J. Patric Schneider/For the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
3of4Lamar CISD social worker Dawn Byrd and Terry High School Principle Vera Wehring walk the streets in a organized dropout walk to reach out to students who didn't return on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, in Rosenberg.J. Patric Schneider/For the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
4of4Terry High School Principle Vera Wehring walks the streets in a organized dropout walk to reach out to students who didn't return on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, in Rosenberg.J. Patric Schneider/For the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Dawn Byrd has learned to honk her car's horn when she pulls up to some of the more rural homes, in case of dogs.
As a social worker for the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District in Fort Bend County, she's visited homes with dirt floors and some with no running water. She can remember going to visit one student in the winter and finding a gaping hole in the front of the home. "There was no front door," Byrd said.
On a recent rainy Saturday morning, she's ready for anything as she heads out for the district's annual dropout walk, meant to reach out to students who haven't shown up for school yet this year.
In the Houston area, school districts have been using the walks for about a decade to reconnect with students who left before graduating. While some districts have dropped the approach amid improved attendance-tracking technologies with early warnings for at-risk students and evolving strategies for keeping students in school, other districts say the door-to-door approach remains a valuable tool.
Nationally, the mix of prevention and re-engagement efforts has raised the graduation rate nationally to around 80 percent, but 1 in 5 students still aren't graduating with their peers, according to America's Promise Alliance, a group focused on the advancement of young people. And even among those who are graduating, "most kids at this point are not graduating college- and career-ready," said Marjorie Cohen, principal associate for education with the National League of Cities.
By the numbers A sampling of dropout rates at Houston-area school districts:
HISD
Cypress-Fairbanks
While the Houston Independent School District's four-year dropout rate for the Class of 2013, 12.4 percent, was above the state average, suburban counties reported lower rates: 4.8 percent for Cypress-Fairbanks, 4.4 percent for Fort Bend, 4.1 percent for Conroe, 4 percent for Lamar, and 3.3 percent for Katy.
School officials report mixed results from the dropout walks.
Fort Bend ISD participated in some of the earlier walks but said it was not a successful campaign, according to Amanda Hartley, the district's Title-I Coordinator and Homeless Liaison. Instead, the district has partnered with ACHIEVE Fort Bend to offer a mentorship program and focused on credit recovery efforts.
Personal connection stressed
By other measures, the walks are doing well. HISD had more volunteers this year than last. And districts that still hold the walks - including Houston, Spring, Stafford and Lamar - see them as a unique opportunity to make a personal connection.
"Something magical happens," said Bea Marquez, director of HISD's dropout prevention. Her district's dropout rate for the Class of 2013 was down 2 percentage points from the 14.6 percent rate for the Class of 2003. "Though this concept may not appear so bright and shiny, it is still very much a necessity."
During the recession, many school districts saw their dropout rates spike. Lamar's went from 2.8 percent in the 2002-2003 school year to 10.7 percent in 2007-2008, meaning 10.7 percent of the students who should've graduated given a four-year track in 2008 didn't make it.
Lamar is a largely rural district. But the suburban boom that's transforming Katy and Fort Bend is starting to reach here, as well.
Still, there is a lot of hurt. More than half of Lamar's students are economically disadvantaged, according to the Texas Education Agency.
On the day of the walk in early September, Lamar's B.F. Terry High School, which has approximately 1,800 students, is only looking for seven students who haven't returned or responded to calls in the first few weeks of class. Principal Vera Wehring can remember a time when that number was closer to 21.
On the day of the dropout walk, Byrd, who is in her 14th year, heads out with Wehring and assistant principal Joey Pineda.
The three quickly find their first stop, a mobile home, second from the end on a dead-end road.
But something's not right. Wooden boards cover the windows. They hop out of the car when they see a man on the property, but he's just there to haul the home away. He doesn't know where the family who lived there is now.
Students don't show up to school for a number of reasons. Some move out of the district or return to a home country. Others switch to home- or private-schooling, which can include questionable online diploma mills. Those students aren't counted as dropouts by the state of Texas, whose statistics on dropouts have been questioned by some, including Children at Risk's Robert Sanborn. Work or family obligations call others away, especially students who are old for their grade. Many who get discouraged after falling behind simply don't return.
As Wehring and the others head back to the car, the landlord pulls up in a red pickup. The family, it turns out, had been evicted but they're living nearby. The landlord doesn't know the address but he gives rough directions. "Look for the chair out front," he tells them as they drive off.
Alternatives offered
A few turns later, they spot a nice home with shrubs out front. A soggy black chair sits in the driveway. "Bingo," Wehring says.
It takes a few knocks and some prodding from a family member, but eventually the student comes to the door, seeming like he just woke up.
"Remember me," Wehring asks him.
"No," he says. It's been awhile since he stopped coming to school.
"You just disappeared," the principal tells him. "What are you doing these days?"
Nothing, he tells her, but doesn't elaborate when he says he's keeping himself solvent without relying on his mother.
Returning to high school doesn't seem to interest him, so they tell him about a couple free online programs where he can get his GED, or high school equivalency certificate.
"I think my friend was telling me about this," he says, with a little more energy in his voice. He tells them he'll look into it soon. "We're about to get a laptop."
They ask him to update them when he does. The whole thing takes less than five minutes, but the educators seem elated with the result.
"We found him. He's safe. That's what makes it worthwhile," Wehring said.
The next stop isn't nearly as successful. Music emanates from broken window screens. But when they knock and ask to speak with the student, the music switches off. No one comes to the door. They leave a packet of information about the district's programs.
The point of today's walk isn't just to talk. It's also to get absent students enrolled in one of several alternative programs. None of the seven students on Saturday's walk re-enrolls as a result, but all receive information outlining options. "Many times when their peers aren't around, they seem to be much more receptive to listening and wanting to try something different," noted Rhett Gray, who coordinates special programs for the Lamar CISD.
One of the newer options is a flexible night school for students who might work during the day. Forty-two such students have graduated through that program so far.
Technology advancing
Districts across the area have developed an arsenal of strategies. Dual enrollment allows students to work toward a diploma while also earning college credit. Online courses let students go at their own pace, either for credit recovery or even to graduate ahead of schedule.
Partnerships with groups like Communities in Schools of Houston or Project Grad help pair students with mentors, provide on-campus support throughout the year, or offer summer learning opportunities on local college campuses.
HISD just launched its Middle College High School program, where students from ages 16 through 21 can earn class credits in a college setting. So far, there are two campuses with 150 students each.
And technology that used to track attendance once a day will soon count individual students at every class period in HISD schools.
Ann Stiles, executive director of Project Grad, supports the dropout walks.
"It is a great opportunity to break down those barriers between institutions and the communities that they serve," said Stiles, whose organization helped provide the model for the walks, with its own efforts to reach ninth-graders and have each sign a commitment to graduate as part of the Project Grad program.
She said there are many approaches to keeping students in school, but the walks offer a unique experience. Said Stiles, "You can learn so much about your work when you are sitting across the kitchen table with a student and their family."
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