Editorial: Dropping in and staying

Most high school dropouts start dropping out early in their education careers, educators say. Their attendance becomes spotty. They fall behind in class. The disengagement begins.

The inverse is also true — high school graduates start graduating early in their schooling, too. Success in elementary school leads to success in middle school and high school. They dropped into school in kindergarten and saw it through.

So the decrease in the Rowan-Salisbury School System’s dropout rate announced by the state recently reflects well on elementary and middle schools as well as the system’s high schools. The “stay in school” message is sinking in.

The Rowan-Salisbury dropout rate fell from 4.24 percent in 2009-10 to 3.36 percent in 2010-11, bringing it to the lowest level in 10 years — and slightly better than the statewide rate of 3.43. In raw numbers, 62 fewer students left school without earning a diploma. Instead, they stuck it out and graduated.

That’s 62 victories — 62 young people with a better chance statistically of getting a good job, staying out of jail and living a productive life. A diploma doesn’t guarantee success, but the lack of one virtually ensures a struggle.

It takes much more than a “stay in school” mantra to keep students engaged and learning — just as it takes more than a “Just Say No” message to keep kids off drugs. They have to have good reasons, good connections, true motivation. Like its peers, Rowan-Salisbury has worked on dropout prevention with a wide range of programs; there is no silver bullet.

Reports on various aspects of school performance come out several times a year, a sign of the scrutiny given public education today. Rowan-Salisbury does not always fare well. Making adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind is a constant struggle; the system met 36 of its 68 performance targets in 2010-11. It’s in its seventh year of “Title I District Improvement” for missing targets in reading. There is much room for improvement.

And improvement is taking place. The most recent cohort graduation rate is 76.9 percent, up from 73 percent the previous year, and the dropout rate has declined. These are signs of good things ahead for those students, the schools and the community.