Portland's high school dropout rate runs high at alternative schools (Diplomas denied, Part 1)
by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
Portland Public Schools turns out more than 1,100 dropouts every year, largely because leaders have hidden that rampant failure from those best positioned to prevent it, an analysis by The Oregonian has found.
That consigns one of every three young people who enter a Portland high school to a life of reduced earnings and opportunity. In Portland's class of 2011 alone, 1,300 students -- 35 percent of the class -- failed to earn a diploma in four years.
Most of them never will.
The single biggest factor behind the sky-high dropout rate? Oregon's largest school district shuffles struggling students by the hundreds into a network of low-profile, mostly unaccountable alternative schools. There, out of sight of their former teachers, principals and classmates, at least 80 percent drop out.
That disconnect between the district's nine big high schools and the fate of students who falter and leave
Portland directs students to GEDs rather than back to classes (Diplomas denied, Part 2)
by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
Hundreds of Portland students each year are allowed to settle for a GED, though it's nowhere near as valuable as a diploma.
Schools in Hillsboro, Arizona spot potential dropouts better than Portland (Diplomas denied, Part 3)
by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
Dedicated to a system of simple, effective steps, school districts similar to Portland's do far better keeping students on track to graduate.
