What is happening in Las Vegas carries some lessons for the School Archive Project.
Clark County School District has been as manipulative and misleading as any school district in the public reporting of their dropout rates! As recently as 2-26-10 they have publicly claimed
(http://ccsd.net/news/pdf/20100226-2042989254.pdf ): “The overall dropout rate for ninth through twelfth grade students in the Clark County School District (CCSD) has improved for the second consecutive year, down to 4.6 percent in 2008-09 from 5.8 percent in 2007-08.”
The real dropout rates are much closer to 46%!
A long history of similar manipulative communications in Dallas ISD have blogs repeatedly accusing Dr. Hinojosa as being responsible for dropout rate disasters that plagued DISD long before he came in 2005. The real DISD dropout rates were simply never made public. Still, since 2005, significant progress has been made within Dallas ISD as reflected in the graph at http://www.studentmotivation.org/DallasISD.htm#graph .
It is strongly recommended that the finalist chosen for the superintendent position demand that Clark County School District clearly communicate their real dropout numbers to the public. They should demand this before they accept the position. It will lead to the greatest progress possible in Clark County and will help them avoid the groundless, mindless criticism that Dr. Hinojosa is receiving on Dallas blogs.
The real dropout rates are much closer to 46%!
A long history of similar manipulative communications in Dallas ISD have blogs repeatedly accusing Dr. Hinojosa as being responsible for dropout rate disasters that plagued DISD long before he came in 2005. The real DISD dropout rates were simply never made public. Still, since 2005, significant progress has been made within Dallas ISD as reflected in the graph at http://www.studentmotivation.org/DallasISD.htm#graph .
It is strongly recommended that the finalist chosen for the superintendent position demand that Clark County School District clearly communicate their real dropout numbers to the public. They should demand this before they accept the position. It will lead to the greatest progress possible in Clark County and will help them avoid the groundless, mindless criticism that Dr. Hinojosa is receiving on Dallas blogs.
Once such dropout rate transparency is given, the power and progress of the School Archive Project can much more easily be proven. The power of focusing a student into full ownership of their own history and future will be seen.
