School officials say they are addressing their challenges.
(TROUTDALE, Ore.) - Reynolds High School has been called a "Drop Out Factory" by leading researcher, Johns Hopkins University, but officials there say that is not the case.
The Associated Press commissioned a study from Johns Hopkins University, which examined the shrinking enrollment of high school cohorts from freshman to senior years. Schools which enrolled fewer than 60% of the freshman cohort as seniors were dubbed, Drop Out Factories, in the AP release.
Officials with the Reynolds School District say they do not have any drop out factories. In a press release, the district states that graduation is the primary purpose of public K-12 education systems, and Reynolds High School offers programs that help students reach that goal.
One of those programs involves the improvement of literacy instruction, including focused and intensive reading instruction for high school students.
Officials say they have improved the school climate using Effective Behavior Systems to reach that goal. They say the school also provides opportunities for credit recovery during the summer. Later this year, Reynolds High will begin offering a credit recovery program in the evenings.
"Our administrators and teachers are well aware of the challenges our students face in completing high school. In response to this, we have put a number of supports in place in the past two years. We have made major improvements in the area of literacy this year. We have plans to increase programs for ninth graders and other students who are at-risk for dropping out. Reynolds High School and Reynolds Learning Academy strive to graduate every student," says Dr. Joyce Henstrand, Executive Director of Secondary Education.
Johns Hopkins Study Dubs Reynolds High a Drop Out FactorySalem-News.com