A new online program is joining the efforts to battle kids dropping out of school.
Kansas DropINs, a collaboration of private and public sector agencies housed in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), developed a new interactive Web site, www.kansasdropins.org, highlighting resources for the state’s dropout prevention efforts and upcoming Dropout Prevention Summit on Oct. 20 in Wichita.
“The biggest advantage to this program is it will bring more awareness to this growing issue of kids dropping out of school,” said Sgt. Phil Wickwire, with the Butler County Sheriff’s Department.
“It goes without saying that society needs young people to complete high school and some collage to be able to compete in the work force.”
“Youth dropping out of school has a dramatic effect on all Kansans,” added Roderick L. Bremby, Secretary of KDHE. “It is crucial to our state’s economic viability and the health of our local communities that every young Kansan graduates prepared for life, instilled with a passion for lifelong learning.”
It also will benefit law enforcement agencies.
“The chances of a drop out getting involved into a gang or criminal activity will more than double over that of a youth that remains in school,” said Wickwire. “I realize that drugs and gangs will continue to be in our schools; however, we as SORs, teachers and school administrators are able to deal effectively with those still in school verses the ones that leave.”
To spread awareness of this program, a Dropout Prevention Summit will be held at Wichita State University’s Rhatigan Student Center. It is funded through a grant received by the America’s Promise Alliance, a national organization committed to ending the nation’s dropout crisis, and a donation by State Farm Insurance.
The Summit, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will highlight promising practices of Kansas’ current dropout prevention efforts, while identifying additional strategies to combat the issue. Registration for the conference will open in late July and will be $15 per participant.
Wickwire encourages teachers, staff, school administrators, school resource officers and students to attend the summit. In addition, business sectors, parents and concerned citizens also are encouraged to attend.
“The summit starts the process of looking deeper into the issues at hand,” he said.
During the 2007-08 school year, approximately 3,640 students dropped out of Kansas high schools. For this school year alone, those dropouts cost $946 million in lost earnings, taxes and productivity over their lifetimes. In addition, these youth are more likely to be in prison, get divorced, live in poverty, have poor health and utilize public assistance.
“The trickledown effect of students dropping out is alarming,” Bremby said. “With ill prepared youth entering the workforce all sectors of the community suffer. Successful solutions to this issue will require a collaborative effort.”
Kansas DropINS was formed in 2008 and is tasked with the planning the state’s Dropout Prevention Summit.
“If you are interested and would like more information, I encourage people to visit our Web page and get involved,” Wickwire said.
For more information or to register, visit www.kansasdropins.org or contact Jessica Noble, Kansas DropINs coordinator, at 785-296-1521 or jnoble@kdheks.gov.
El Dorado, Kan. —
