Dropout rate inches upward in Alleghany

Alleghany County’s dropout rate has been slowly increasing for students in grades seven through 12 since the 2001-2002 school year, according to a report released earlier this month by the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction. The reported numbers did not include expulsions, but did reflect duplicate counts where applicable.

According to the report, during the 2003-2004 school year, Alleghany County reported that 17 students, or 2.48 percent of students in the seventh through 12th grades dropped out of school. However, none of those students in Alleghany were in grades seven or eight, the report’s data indicated.

Superintendent Duane Davis said emphasis has been put on programs including Gear-Up and Mountaineer Millennium to institute the cooperation of parents and school staff.

“All programs are designed to help students — especially at-risk students — have a goal with their parents of graduating from high and going on to school,” Davis said. “A year ago, Alleghany County Schools started a New Century Scholars program for the express purpose of helping students have the dream of staying in school in order to go a higher education after graduation.”

Learning of the slowly increasing dropout rate of students in grades seven through 12, Davis said. “I don’t have any answers as to why it’s crept up this year.

“Most teachers will say its due to the higher accountability standards. We’re asking students to learn more and achieve more,” Davis continued.

“It’s something we work on constantly and I think every student who drops out is a failure — for not only myself but for all of our school staff. If a dropout occurs, we’ve failed them. I can’t put my finger on exactly what is causing it.”

Davis also noted the importance of a study being done by the Bill Gates Foundation. He said the foundation focuses on the importance of a group of freshmen having the same “star group instructor” or homeroom teacher through graduation. This allows one individual to be the advocate for each individual student and can better guide them during their school years and help them plan a future that does not include dropping out. “We just have to work harder at getting a personal relationship with students,” Davis said.

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