Commentary: Reducing high school dropouts helps education reform

In 1865, the Rev. A. J. White, Nevada's first state superintendent of schools, complained to Gov. Blasdel there was not enough funding to support the public schools. White suggested mining be required to pay more to support the schools.

They didn't. During the intervening years, many dedicated educators have struggled to improve Nevada schools while unstable revenues historically impeded their progress.

The "boom and bust" economic cycle has allowed schools to progress one step forward in good times and two steps back when the inevitable "bust" cycle appears. This cycle has not allowed Nevada education to progress.

The result today is that when compared with national and international students, Nevada education ranks low. This problem has been exacerbated by the challenges of our changing demographics " greater cultural, linguistic and economic diversity among our population and more demanding academic standards required of all students. These are great strengths to a society, but they also represent profound challenges for its public schools, especially when they're under-funded.

We must reduce dropout and increase graduation rates. It is axiomatic that students who do not graduate will not do well in the future. Students who do graduate gain greater earning power and enhance the state's economy by billions of dollars over the years.

Nevada's 17 county school districts have been required to account for and report school dropouts for a number of years. They have used several metrics over the years. The newest one is called "Four Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR)." There is also a rate called the "Leaver Rate Formula." The state requires common student identifiers, but there are still differences in the formulae primarily based on who is counted, how long they are in school (4 or more years) and what kind of completion certificate (regular diploma, certificate of completion, or General Education Diploma) they have acquired. However, Nevada still does not do well. Our current rate of 45.5 percent (ACGR) ranks us among the five worst state rates in the country.

Reducing dropouts and improving graduation rates improve education. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, when one pays attention to students who are having difficulty, one improves quality instruction for all students. Teachers and students become focused on what they are expected to do and they do it. All student-learning improves.

At a recent Assembly education hearing, Chairwoman Bonnie Parnell had Washoe County Superintendent Paul Dugan explain what he was doing to reduce dropouts and increase graduation rates; superintendent Walt Rulffes from Clark County told committee members what the Clark County Schools were doing. It was similar.

Dugan and Rulffes emphasized special tutoring, counseling, extra time with teachers in core subjects, rigorous expectations and careful academic tracking of student progress " all time consuming, all expensive, all make a difference in the academic lives of our children.

Witnesses testified that the proposed budget cuts would be devastating; all were appalled by what budget cuts would do to the improvements made but not yet institutionalized. Chairwoman Parnell was concerned about the historical backsliding for Nevada schools in the "bust" cycle.

She made an eloquent plea to her committee and to the public to stabilize school funding so that the hard work of Nevada educators could be realized in national statistics, that we would not suffer backsliding as we have in the past.

Let's provide support for the Legislature and for stable resources to do the necessary work to make our schools better for all Nevada children and improve the quality of our lives and theirs.

- Dr. Eugene T. Paslov, former Nevada Superintendent of Schools, is a board member for Silver State Charter School.