KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Graduation rates are up and drop out numbers are down at Kalamazoo’s three public high schools.
Supt. Michael Rice said the state has been crunching the numbers since the end of the last school year, tracking all the students who have come and gone and the reasons they left. The reports are now back and they revealed the steady increase in the number of students leaving Kalamazoo schools with diplomas continued last year.
He told trustees on Thursday they’re the best numbers they’ve seen since the new accounting system was adopted in 2008.
Rice said the rates continue to improve at a pace well ahead of other similar districts in Michigan.
He said they have managed to make this kind of progress over the last few years despite the introduction of the Michigan Merit Curriculum, which raised curriculum standards requiring more math, science, English and other core subjects to qualify for graduation.
Rice said they would’ve made more progress if not for cuts to the district budget imposed by the state. Those cuts total about $11 million since 2008.
On the positive side, Dr. Rice says they are constantly introducing better textbooks and learning programs, training and hiring better teachers, tweaking programs and making other improvements to improve future graduation statistics.
Rice said there are three big changes that have already improved the abilities of students currently in the “pipeline.” He thinks the introduction of full-day kindergarten in 2008, a richer English language series in 2013 and universal preschool in 2014 could have a profound effect on future graduation and drop-out rates.
If asked if he could wave a magic wand to improve rates what would he wish for, Dr. Rice said it would be for all parents to enroll their children in pre-school programs. That’s when children have their greatest capacity to learn. In fact, during a pre-meeting briefing with reporters, he was able to produce two magic wands kept in his office just for such occasions.
He credits teachers, support staff, administrators, parents, grandparents, the community and the students for the doing the hard work to make the gains possible and credits the Kalamazoo Promise for generating and channeling the energy to accelerate those gains.
