Finding Solutions to the Dropout Crisis

Dr. Beverley J. Pitts
The following article appeared in The Indianapolis Star on July 30, 2006.

The air of expectation and promise that normally accompanies the buildup to a new school term is tempered this year by sobering news from the Annie E. Casey Foundation: Indiana has the highest percentage of teenage high school dropouts of any state in the nation.

The knowledge that many Indiana schoolchildren are disaffected by high school is not news, but the reality of the numbers is staggering. Thirteen percent of Hoosier teens ages 16 to 19 were dropouts in 2004, according to the highly respected Casey Foundation tally – a figure that reflects previous years' trends.

Despite this dire outlook, there are signs that Indiana educators, policy makers, and community leaders are tackling this problem – not the least of which is legislation that will now make it more difficult for teens to leave school. New small high schools created within Indianapolis Public Schools and other districts are evidence that this community wants to move from warehousing hard-to-reach youth to offering a rigorous, stimulating education that will keep all students in school and prepare them well for college or work.

As we enhance the high school experience we must direct equal attention to raising aspirations for postsecondary training or study. According to the Casey Foundation, only 36 percent of young adults ages 18 to 24 in Indiana were enrolled in or had completed college in 2004. From what we know of today's world economy, the remaining 64 percent – many of them dropouts, many ill-prepared by high school – are relegated to a life of low-wage jobs.

We cannot and should not expect the schools alone to deal with this problem. Although colleges and universities have been significantly engaged in elementary and secondary education for decades, we recognize that we need to commit to becoming part of the solution. We need to provide the immediate support that helps schools address the crisis and, at the same time, demystify college and make it a less intimidating and more accessible opportunity for all students.

These connections can take many forms. Many Indiana colleges offer dual-credit opportunities in which high school students take a college-level course or two and receive high school and college credit. While these provide excellent opportunities, they typically attract students who already envision going to college. We need additional strategies for capturing the teens who don't entertain the idea or, worse, are in danger of dropping out because they find high school irrelevant.

"Early College" high schools, like the one Lawrence Township is opening this fall in collaboration with Ivy Tech State College, especially target these students by offering them an opportunity to begin a year or two of college studies while still in high school. The arrangement adds challenge to their secondary experience and improves the likelihood they'll not only graduate from high school, but go on to finish the college degree.

UIndy is engaged directly in high school reform, including the small school initiative and Early College, through its Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning. We're also offering rigor and relevance through the Academy of Finance, a national program to stimulate interest in finance and higher education. We host an annual conference that brings more than 300 high school students to campus, and we offer a college course to students who complete a high school finance class. Our business faculty also coach minority high school students through a financial literacy program run by 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, in which students learn how to be investment portfolio managers.

UIndy professors visit area high schools to show students the connection between their studies, higher education, and potential careers. Business and math professor Leslie Gardner demonstrates the relationship between algebra and the growing field of supply chain management, while Mary Ritke, associate professor of biology, has been developing a high school bioinformatics curriculum and leading classroom activities with Barbara Burkhardt, science department chair at Zionsville High School.

Direct faculty contacts like these are invaluable, whether originated by UIndy or other institutions. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is inspiring high school girls through its Women Exploring Engineering program, and there are many other examples of programs that are making a difference.

The point is this: We must find new and ever more significant ways to connect with high schools, rather than wait for the students to come to us, fully prepared and eager for higher learning. If the numbers tell us anything, it is that Indiana teens need our help sooner rather than later.