Administrators in Delaware frustrated that students pursuing alternative education routes are still counted as dropouts

About 1,500 students dropped out of school in Delaware last school year, and officials are struggling to pinpoint why.

The Delaware Department of Education does show a decreasing dropout rate, with 71 fewer students dropping out last year than the year before. That continues a three-year decline to 3.7 percent, according to an article on DFMNews.

Having more students stay engaged is encouraging, but administrators believe the numbers could be better — after all, they argue, some of their students are being counted as dropouts even though they are continuing their education.

“I’m asking for the opportunity to think outside of the box,” said Mervin Daugherty, superintendent of Red Clay Consolidated School District. Teachers may be more comfortable suggesting alternate educational routes if those students weren’t counted as dropouts.

Students who attend the James H. Groves Adult High School, enter Job Corps, or pursue a GED are also considered dropouts, even though they aren’t stopping their educational pursuit.

We’d like to agree, but the fact is that such educational paths do not always produce a diploma. And even when students obtain a GED, research shows that they’re not as well-served by that certification as they would be with a high school diploma.   

But we wholly agree with Daugherty on one important point: He hopes legislators will consider alternative paths for keeping students in school — and we do, too.

Flexibility and the willingness to adapt to the challenges students face in graduating, from unstable home lives to pregnancy to bullying, is the best way to ensure students graduate and don’t fall prey to the consequences of dropping out — from making substantially less income than their diploma-holding peers to running increased risks of being victims of violent crimes.

Do you think students who engage in alternative learning should be counted as dropouts?
What alternatives do your schools and districts offer? What do you think is the best way to keep students engaged in school?