Photo by Rajah Bose
Gonzaga’s School of Education doesn’t just train our future teachers, but also finds ways to keep students in the classroom. A team of Gonzaga professors and staff are completing research to impact high school graduation rates – all through a grant funded by regional foundations.
The statistics are real and sobering. Students who do not graduate from high school are twice as likely as those who do graduate to be unemployed, can expect to earn about two-thirds of the salary earned by someone with a diploma, and many employers will refuse to even consider a candidate who has not completed the 12th grade.
Yet approximately 40 percent of Spokane students drop out of high school, setting themselves up for a lifetime of challenges because of a choice they made as a teenager.
Priority Spokane, a grass-roots organization made up of government officials, business leaders and nonprofit organizations, has determined that of all the problems that need addressing in Spokane, the low graduation rate is one of the most serious, along with early learning, health care and economic attainment.
To increase the graduation rate, Priority Spokane worked with the Inland Northwest Community Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide a grant that would fund research on proven methods and develop specific suggestions for the Spokane district.
In February, the grant was awarded to John Traynor of the School of Education, with a team made up of fellow professor Jonas Cox, Dean of Education Jon Sunderland, and Katherine Kaiser, mentoring programs coordinator for the Center of Community Action and Service-Learning (CCASL).
By reviewing studies done at other schools, Traynor said the team was able to develop a proposal for steps that should be taken by the Spokane district. The district has been very supportive of the research and is eager to do everything it can to help students succeed.
“They have been great collaborators with us,” Traynor said.
The research team found that many schools have been successful with a Drop-out Early Warning System, or DEWS, which can be implemented as early as sixth grade. This system tracks four factors in a student’s performance: math, English, attendance and behavior. Studies have found that students with behavior problems, low attendance rates, or failing grades in math or English are far more likely to drop out than their peers who are doing well in these areas.
By tracking students early, school officials can identify those who are at risk for dropping out of high school and provide them with resources to improve their performance. This system of what Traynor describes as “evidence-based intervention” will allow students to receive the help they need early enough to curb their likelihood of dropping out later.
Students who are found to be at risk will be provided with tutoring and mentoring, possibly through programs such as Shaw Connection and Zag Study Buddies, volunteer-driven programs run by CCASL. Programs that provide students with academic assistance and positive role models have been shown to increase the chances of graduation of at-risk students, and are a great opportunity for Gonzaga students to help solve this problem.
The proposal also suggests involving the family, teams of educators that will work together to teach all subjects to a cohort of students, developing middle-to-high transition programs, extended learning opportunities, and professional development programs for teachers.
With the entire community working together, those 40 percent of Spokane high school students could have a much better chance of leaving high school for the last time in a scratchy polyester gown, clutching a single piece of paper that will earn them half a million dollars over the course of their lives.
Story by Lauren Campbell from the Gonzaga Bulletin and adapted by Stephanie Rockwell for Gonzaga Giving.