Using Emerging Technology to Reach Dropouts

Here is an instance of using new media and emerging technology to stem the rising tide of students dropping out of school.

http://www.myfuturemydecision.org/

Reaching Dropouts with New Media
By Lesli A. Maxwell

To raise anemic high school graduation rates, education leaders in Los Angeles are turning to YouTube, MySpace, text messaging, and the radio waves to reach students at risk of dropping out of school and lure back thousands who have already left.
The Los Angeles Unified School District—the nation’s second largest, with 708,000 students—is believed to be one of the first districts to use social-networking Web sites and text-messaging communications as a vital part of a dropout-reduction strategy.
Students who abandoned the city’s high schools and have come back to finish their diplomas will be the primary messengers to their at-risk peers in the new campaign, said Debra Duardo, the director of Los Angeles Unified’s dropout-prevention and -recovery program. They will post video testimonials on YouTube and build groups on popular MySpace message boards to spread the word about their own experiences and the alternatives for earning a diploma, which don’t necessarily require a return to one of the district’s giant four-year high schools.
With a list of at least 17,000 dropouts to target for recovery this school year, leaders in Los Angeles Unified said they must use a variety of strategies to find the youths who have already left school. The district’s graduation rates have been under fire—especially during Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign last year to gain some control over the school system.
But district officials will have to do more than simply get those students back in school for the program to be successful, experts say.
“The new-media approach is very creative and thoughtful and should reach kids where they are,” said Russlynn Ali, the executive director of the Education Trust-West, an Oakland, Calif.-based research and advocacy group that supports increased rigor in high schools for all students. “For the district to take this on is really a big deal, but where they run a risk is if it ends up being dropout recovery for the purpose of recovery only and not for getting these kids meaningful diplomas that prepare them for college and work.”

Al

Emerging Technology, the ACLU and the Constitution

I'm sitting here watching the news and a story comes on about the ACLU suing on behalf of students who feel their rights of privacy are being invaded since teachers began monitoring text messages. It seems that Monarch High School in Colorado suspended a few students after reading text messages about drugs on their cell phones. The ACLU accused the school of committing felonies under Colorado law. It used to be that students would write notes to each other and occasionally the teacher would intercept the notes and read them aloud. That was only embarrassing. Today teens are text messaging each other and the schools policy on the use of technology doesn't even mention text messaging. The bottom line is there is a thin line between rights to privacy and school safety and that is at issue here. Do schools have the right to monitor text messages. I can see this becoming a major issue that schools will have to address not only in the area of school safety and drugs but also cheating on tests.

Al

Group Chat

This week I participated in a group chat with Frank, Ruth, Kristy and Melanie. There was an attempt to use the white board but it was only relatively successful. I haven't had an opportunity to use my camera yet and still looking forward to it.

Weekend Conference

What a week. From Sunday through Tuesday I was in the Ozarks at the Arkansas 21st CCLC conference with teachers, principals and superintendents from all over the state. The theme of the conference was 21st CCLC All That Jazz! (a reference to jazzing up afterschool programs. I conducted two workshops on performing assessments in addition to a musical performance Sunday night at the jazz café. The highlight of the conference was the keynote speaker Salome Thomas EL. If you are unfamiliar with him I have included a link to his web page. He is the principal from Philadelphia that taught his students chess. They went on to win 8 national championships (first time in history). Disney is now making the movie.

http://www.ichoosetostay.com/index.html

He has two books out, “I choose to stay” and his latest “The Immortality of Influence” with the foreword by Will Smith. If you are ever looking for a keynote speaker that will light it up…I promise you will not be disappointed.