Highline School District won’t give up on its dropouts

It would be easy to write these kids off.

Some of the students in the Highline School District’s Interim Placement Program have scores of entries in their disciplinary records.

“I have kids that can’t remember how many times they’ve been kicked out of school,” says Bruce Dearborn, who runs the program for the 17,000-student district, south of Seattle.

But Dearborn refuses to give up on his students. Still, the more school they miss, the further behind they fall. And the further behind they fall, the more trouble they’re prone to fall into.

It’s Dearborn’s job to break the cycle. And he knows that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to their problems.

That’s why he partners with NoDropouts.

Highline’s brick-and-mortar interim placement center is centrally located — “but the Highline School District is the largest in the state, so for some kids, just getting on the bus has been a barrier to them getting in and getting work done,” he said. “Often they have a baby at home or they’re taking care of siblings or elderly grandparents and so they have these circumstances that prevent regular participation in the program.”

So Dearborn uses NoDropouts’ mobile computers, including 4G Internet connectivity, and the program’s curriculum to help reach students who can’t or won’t visit the center.

“We bring the school to them,” he said. “Then they can do it at off hours, whenever they can. They don’t have to wait for the yellow school bus.”

And while he’d like to see these students graduate, Dearborn doesn’t make that his first objective.

“In general, when they come in they’re slightly over six credit behind — that’s a full school year and some are as far behind as two to four years,” he said. “They’re alienated... and most of them are pretty ticked off. They feel that they’re not very good — so why should they try? There are lots of self esteem issues. So a big part of what we do is trying to get them to see how intelligent they really are.”

Dearborn said NoDropouts has been supportive of his goals. “NoDropouts is a top-drawer outfit,” he said. “Everyone I have worked with, without exception, has been spot-on. Their knowledge base is in the right place. They’re interest and effort in working with these kids is exemplary. And plus, they’re user-friendly, all the way.”

So Dearborn is hoping to work more with NoDropouts in the future: Washington state allows for competence-based early assessment — and the program’s leaders are working to mold their system to take advantage of that.

That, Dearborn said, would be one more tool in the kit — and one more way to help students see that they can be successful.

Sometimes that’s all it takes, he said — and that’s why he won’t write these kids off.

Could your school district benefit from another set of dropout prevention and recovery options? We can help. Call us at 855-NO-DROPOUTS or send an e-mail to info@nodropouts.com