Problem Statement: Most King County Public Schools with a predominately minority and low income served population perform poorly, according to state academic standards and produce poor graduation rates, exhibiting high drop out rates. Research Data: In the 2006-2007 school year minority students comprised over 60% of the total population in three South King County high schools. Additionally 50% of the total student population at each school was from low income families. Statistics for these schools indicate student academic performance on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in the areas of math, reading, writing and science is below average compared to other high schools in the state. Also, student drop out rates for the schools far surpass the state average (Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, OPSI, www.k12.wa.us/ ). Motivation: There is no one magical, quick fix solution to the dropout problem. The problem is complex and requires a complex array of solutions… Programs, to be effective, need to provide intensive attention to at-risk students, who often must be convinced that they are competent and can be successful in school… The key to reducing the dropout rate is helping youth to overcome their sense of disconnectedness… It is imperative not to isolate or alienate any students from the school… Not all factors related to dropout reduction are school controllable, and solutions to the complex problem of dropouts cannot be achieved by the schools alone. It is a national problem which must be addressed by the whole society. It requires resources that go beyond the school, and solutions require a team approach--the combined efforts of students, parents, teachers, administrators, community-based organizations, and businesses, as well as the federal, state, and local governments (Northwest Regional Education Laboratory/ School Improvement Research Series http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/9/c017.html ).
