{ title: 'The Spectrum (Buffalo, N.Y.) 1955-current, November 16, 1979, Page 20, Image 20', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-20/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-20.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-20/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-20/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: University at Buffalo
iDropp ngoutof h I I I gh school common n New York. that we are talking about individuals who may be makipg grievous mistakes.*' - A common reason for pupils dropping-out—more delicatlfy referred to as “leaving early”—is to find employment. The school board’s report stated that 21 percent of all leavers for the 1977-78 schoolyear did so with working papers. • by Russell Burcheri Spectrum Staff Writer Macchiarola reported to the New York Times recently. These statistics highlight a major struggle faced by many large urban school districts in encouraging youths to remain in high school. The Buffalo Public School District is not removed from the dilemma.* Deputy Superintendent' of Schools Claude D. Clapp further noted, “. . . statistics do not matter much to me, 13.5 percent is only a number and 1 do not like to think of these students in terms of charts and graphs. What is important is According to the Buffalo Board of Education Early School Leavers Report, 2330 pupils (13.5 percent of the total high school- enrollment) dropped out of high school during the 1977-78 school year.- Over the past four years, S nearly one out of every two New s York CHy high school students | has quit school. Public School | Chancellor Frank J. z N MnMMtHMHiWMHM MN NNMMiHHiniMMNN Hli>. _ ‘ f WORLD'S‘LARGEST ’ Clapp noted the irony of this exodus. “Where do these students get the idea that finding work is not correlated with the possession of ,<4 diploma?' These early leavers are going to drown out there,,” he predicted. RECORD STORE \You've got to see /# to b»Tw H!\ ■ witiiiiaiiMiiiaiMiMN Mai miBHMiiMuanMi liH** % OUR ALREADY LOW PRICES Search for relevance <jir. Another major reason for leaving school stems from sheer boredom, Clapp said. “These students are unable to find any relevance in what they are being taught and this, naturally, leads to a lack of interest. These pupils are merely seeking more meaningful ways with which to pass their time,” maintained the Deputy Superintendent.- Clapp stressed that the school district is working on stemming the drop-out tide by providing such services as additional counseling, program changes, more relevant courses and work-study programs. “We will bendOver backwards to prevent a student from leaving but first we must determine the reason for dropping out. If a student is bad off economically, we will not -retain him by providing more relevant courses to boost his Interest/' conceded Ctapp. Once potential drop-outs are identified—based on previous statistical studies which shew that poor minority students with a history of low grades and high absenteeism are likely candidates — individual counseling occurs to determine the exact reasons why a pupil is dissatisfied, Clapp explained. A student’s schedule can be readjusted so that the poor student will be able to work. It has been found that the drop- out rate for vocational-technical high schools is consistently ~ lower than the rate for acadeidic high schools. ON OUR ENTIRE STOCK OF CLASSICAL ALBUMS, 8-TRACKS & CASSETTES. OFF Districts are secretive rf Statistics for the last fiVe years fail to demonstrate any decrease in the percentage of school leavers. City of Buffalo school board' administrator Mark Kesell, noted that “although the rate is not decreasing it has at least stabilized where now the problem is more manageable.” In direct contradiction to Macchiarola’s contention that school districts remain “secretive about the extent of the problem,” Kesell noted that the Buffalo School District keeps communication lines open with other urban districts who suffer the same exodus. Major cities use varying criteria in evaluating drop-outs which impedes communication bct'.VsX.. school districts. Resell noted we communicate with other districts through the Council of Great City Schools and through Federal Reports to see what solutions are being implemented and how they are working.
