Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with the largest high school dropout rates were Swain County, Lexington City, Thomasville City, Edenton/Chowan, Vance County, Person County, Kannapolis City, Scotland County, Bladen County and Granville County. Vance County saw 5.55% of students drop out for the 2010-2011 year. The number is better than the previous years, however with 2008-2009 at 6.87% and 2009-2010 at 6.38%. For 2010-2011 year 81 dropouts were blacks, 22 hispanic, and 22 whites. 75 were male, 54 were female. Reported crime and violence acts per 1000 students were at 11.53%, placing Vance County #66 in the list of 116 LEA’s. 2,832 combined short and long term suspensions occurred in the county, with 0 expulsions for the 2010-2011 year. Vance County Suspension Rate (Short-Term Suspension Rate per 100 students) is 9th highest in the state, out of 116 LEA’s. 1,581, or about 56% of suspensions were black males, 693 or 24% were black females, 235 or about 8% were white males, 127 or bout 4% were hispanic males, 98 or about 3% were white females, 40 or about 1% were hispanic females, less than 1% were multiracial male and female.
You may download the full report on all counties here.
Fewer students dropped out of North Carolina public schools in 2010-11 than ever before while the number of acts of crime and violence reported among high school students and suspensions and expulsions among all students also decreased according to the 2010-11 Consolidated Data Report today presented to the State Board of Education.
“In these tough economic times, it is clear that more of our students are understanding how earning a high school diploma is their ticket to success in higher education, job training and a career,” said State Superintendent June Atkinson. “This report also proves that our educators and school leaders are working hard to maintain discipline and safety in our classrooms so that more students are staying in school and on track for graduation.”
Key findings of the 2010-11 Consolidated Data Report show that:
Dropout Rate
- The annual high school dropout rate decreased from 3.75 percent to 3.43 percent for 2010-11. A total of 15,342 high school students dropped out in 2010-11 as compared to 16,804 students in 2009-10 (8.7% decrease).
- For all grades, the number of students dropping out decreased to 15,773 from 17,346 the prior year.
- About 63 percent of North Carolina school districts experienced a decrease in dropout rates.
In considering the annual dropout rate, it is important to note that this rate is not the same as the four-year cohort graduation rate. The graduation rate follows a group of ninth graders across four years’ time and reports the percentage of these students who graduate four years after they begin high school. The annual dropout rate illustrates the number and percentage of students who drop out during one year’s time. Some of these students may return to school in the subsequent year and complete high school; others may drop out multiple times. The four- year cohort graduation rate is considered a more comprehensive picture of this issue.
Crime and Violence
- The number of acts of crime and violence reported among high school students decreased by 6 percent from 6,524 to 6,132 acts in 2010 -11. The rate of acts reported for high school students per 1,000 students in membership also decreased by 10.4 percent.
- The number of total reportable acts of crime and violence reported among all grades increased slightly (.4%) from 11,608 acts in 2009-10 to 11,757 incidents in 2010-11.
- Schools are required to report 16 offenses that occur on campus or school property. Of those reported, violent offenses account for 3.2% percent. The most frequently reported acts involved possession of controlled substances, a weapon (excluding firearms and powerful explosives) or alcoholic beverages.
Suspensions and Expulsions
- Out-of-school suspensions decreased. For short-term suspensions (10 days or fewer) among students in all grades, the total went from 277,206 in 2009-10 to 266,488 in 2010-11. Long-term suspensions (11 days or more) among students in all grades dropped from 3,368 to 2,621.
- Expulsions declined to 69 from 88 the previous year. High school students received 43 of these expulsions.
In terms of overall trends in the report, in dropouts, crime and violence, and suspensions and expulsions, males reported at higher rates than females. Ninth grade students also were reported in greater numbers in each category.
“This report includes good news about the dropout rate but it also highlights trends that deserve a closer look,” said State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison. “Principals and assistant principals maintain student discipline and they need adequate resources and support if they are going to continue to make our schools safe places for teaching and learning.”
For the first time and in response to new state legislation, the 2010-11 Consolidated Data Report also included information on the use of corporal punishment. There were 891 uses of corporal punishment reported statewide in 2010-11. Corporal punishment was used at least once by 17 school districts. Charter schools and the remaining 98 school districts did not use corporal punishment.
56% black males and .08 white males and .04 hispanic males……..Is there a REALIST within the Black Community who sees a problem with these #’s? No wonder you read the paper and it’s 99% of the time a black on black crime and/or murder. Idle minds=Trouble. If they were in school and hadn’t been suspended or quit they wouldn’t have all this extra time to roam the streets and get into trouble.
All statistics aside, can a African American member of the Church Community see these #’s and give an explanation…and not an excuse. We hear enough of those around Vance County.
Deception, please adjust .08 should be 8 and .04 should be 4, I need to go back to school myself to figure percentages as I calculated it wrong. The article is updated above. Still, there’s a huge lead in the black suspension rate over any others.
And we wonder why Henderson / Vance County has ‘quality of life issues’.
And we still attest that the dropout rate is not high ENOUGH. School, at least as it is now, is not the place for everyone. The sooner we wake up and realize this, the more successful our students will be.
We may sound horrible for saying this, but why keep Johnny and Mike in class who distract the environment for the other 24 kids in the room when removing those two would increase the educational environment for so many others?
Why save 2 and lose 24 others when the 2 are going to fail more-than-likely anyway? Save the ones who want saving. You can’t save those who don’t want it.
Amen Crusader, if they don’t want to learn kick ’em out and let the others stay. I always thought estern Vance should be shut down and divert the money to the other schools. Just put the on the street and let the Castle Law deal with them.
opps; should be Western Vance(Sorry)
Crusader and One Voice, you guys find it alright to push a child out of what could be the only stable environment they know because that young person does not understand how to act responsibly enough to cease distracting others around them?
I see your point and respect it although it is somewhat radical for my taste and it does forgo initial steps that if failed, would carry us to the result you suggest. After enough chances, students do get expelled. Now a days we have Western Vance to deal with them, right? Don’t the students with behavior issues get sent over there? They did in my day.
There is absolutely NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HOME TRAINNG! School is not the place for this to take place but some students do learn more at home than others, and I cannot quite put my finger on where we should begin laying blame on a minor who does not act accordingly. I agree that higher education, i.e. college, of any sort is not for everyone. But the basic skills learned in K-12 should be taught to every child regardless of whether or not that child thinks they should. Where do we begin to let them make big decisions like this?
Deception raised a good point as well. Where are the leaders swooping in to give a factual reason and not an excuse? No body likes the same rhetoric over and over again. It gets stale, you know? It was that way over a dozen years ago when I was apart of the VCSS.
Mr. Mojo,
You will not hear from anyone within the Faith-Based Community come forward with anything other than an excuse. I do know of a few(very few) African Americans who do volunteer at various schools throughout the county but with a County that has over 100+ Churches or psedo-churches the # of volunteers should be WAY higher. The bigger problem is that children are being taught in the AA community that they have certain “rights”(and they do) and that the “govt.” owes them something(which they do) but they have been taught it backwards. They do have a “RIGHT” to a Free & Appropriate Public Education(not a free handout via EBT,Section 8 Voucher,Medicaid,etc) and the govt. does indeed owe them something and it offers it to anyone who is willing to accept it and put a little effort into it….Free Education(although in Vance Co. I’m not sure if it would be considered APPROPRIATE) but it is Free so put the blame where it lies……..with the males/females who lay down and decide to bring another human being into the world. They should be called parents but needless to say, some of them don’t have a clue. They expect the teachers,police officers, and other members of a community to ‘educate’ there children. There needs to be more “BIG MOMMA’S” who would wear that backside out if a child was disrespectful to ANY adult, much less one of authority but nowadays “BIG MOMMA” is only 35-40 years old b/c there are so many babies..having babies!! I wish it were like in the old days when you earned what you got and you had to work for it. And work for it didn’t mean sitting over at the Dept. of Social Services for a couple of hours waiting on a handout!! We have lost an entire generation with the lazy, somebody owes me something attitute. I’m off my soapbox for now….You’re turn!!
Mojo,
We understand your point about school being the only stable environment some of these children see. It pains us to imagine that many of these children are constantly berated by the adults in their lives at home (be they parents, stepparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). Who would try in such a negative and contrary environment? It appalls us.
But by the time children reach high school, they are starting to decide whether they want to be helped or not. There are some who will not be helped whatever the case. And there are a few who just need that safe haven away from home.
Save those you can. But we need to realize in society we cannot save everyone. Not everyone wants to be saved. :(
The worth of a solid disciplinarian is worth their weight in gold. America as a whole is lacking not just Henderson but it is our duty to clean up our own backyard first. I identify with your views Dagny and Crusader and thank you for the dialog!