Institute to Highlight New Dropout Prevention Resource
Contact: Kay Hyatt, (207) 581-2761
ORONO, Maine — A new resource to help schools keep students enrolled and on track toward graduation and encourage those who have dropped out to return to school will be available for participants at the 2006 Dropout Prevention Summer Institute taking place July 24-25 at the University of Maine.
The “Maine Dropout Prevention Guide,” developed by the Institute for the Study of Students At Risk at UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development, reflects the latest research involving student dropouts nationally and in Maine. The Guide is designed to provide school dropout prevention committees and personnel with research-based information about effective programs and strategies.
The resource, which identifies factors and conditions that commonly place Maine students at risk for dropping out, will be given to all participants during the summer institute, and much of the content will serve as a basic resource for various workshops and presentations, according to Professor William Davis, lead author and director of the Institute for the Study of Students At Risk.
“The issue of dropout prevention is very complex and does not lend itself to quick fixes or simple solutions,” Davis notes in the Guide. “Effective dropout prevention,” he says, “must be viewed as an ongoing process that involves broad-based collaboration among schools, parents, agencies, community members and students.”
Maine Department of Education data over the past decade show fluctuating numbers of students dropping out of the state’s secondary schools. In 2004-05, 1,739 students or 2.78 percent of students dropped out of the state’s public secondary schools. That figure is up from 2.67 percent or 1,678 students who dropped out in 2003-04.
The July institute is sponsored by the Maine Department of Education, the Institute for the Study of Students at Risk and the Alternative Education Association of Maine. Last year’s institute focused on steps to help schools develop comprehensive K-12 dropout prevention plans as required by state and federal law. The 2006 institute, which will focus on developing effective dropout prevention programs and strategies at the local level, is a strong follow-up, according to Shelly Reed of the Maine Department of Education. Institute participants now have the opportunity to examine and implement research-based strategies to meet the needs identified in their school plans, she explains.
Keynote speaker will be career educator, author and consultant Franklin P. Schargel of Albuquerque, N.M. A specialist in working with student at risk of failure, he is the author of books such as Best Practices to Help At-Risk Learners, Helping Students Graduate and Dropout Prevention Tools.
More information about the summer institute is available from the Institute for the Study of Students At Risk, (207) 581-2440.