English High dropout rate increases

LYNN – State statistics released Monday report declines in public school dropout rates, but a jump in English High School’s dropout percentage has left Principal Thomas Strangie frustrated and seeking answers to how to keep students in school.Eighty students – or 4.8 percent out of 1,653 attending the school during the 2012-2013 academic year – dropped out of English before graduating, according to state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education statistics.Strangie said English guidance counselors are checking dropout statistics used to compile the state report to verify their accuracy. He said school administrators make an ongoing effort to keep students in school and said 35 of the 80 students have been contacted by school officials urging them to return to English.”We’ve sent letters, we’re trying to coordinate meetings, but some kids, for whatever reason, don’t like school,” Strangie said.The statewide dropout rate was 2.2 percent in the 2012-2013 academic year – the “lowest overall rate in more than three decades,” according to a Department statement.Put another way, 85 percent of students who entered high schools in the 2009-2010 academic year graduated in four years. Hispanic students, low-income students and English language learners all showed improvements in graduation rates, according to the statement.English High’s 2012-13 dropout rate, according to the state statistics, is the highest for the school in four years. Classical High posted a 3.3 percent dropout rate for the previous academic year, according to the state report, representing a slight increase over 2011-2012 dropout statistics.Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute’s 4.6 percent dropout rate stands in contrast to a 7.5 percent rate five years ago, according to the state report.Revere High School posted sharp gains in graduation rates over previous academic years. The school, according to state statistics, reduced its dropout rate by two-thirds over the past two academic years.Lynnfield High School posted the lowest dropout rate for the 2012-13 school year, with only one student dropping out of the 623-student school.The state started pouring $15 million in federal money into public schools beginning in November 2010 to stem dropout rates. The statement credits dropout rate reductions with efforts by educators to reach out to younger students and impress upon them the value of staying in school and making graduation their goal.Strangie said several factors contribute to decisions by students to drop out. Some teenagers, including young parents, face pressure to work and support their families. Others lack parental support focused on academics and school attendance, and others, said Strangie, are “incarcerated.””Our biggest issue is trying to get parents in. It’s very frustrating,” he said.Strangie said English’s prevention coaches “try to be as proactive as possible” in convincing potential dropouts to not leave school.”We beg them, ?Please stay,'” he said.