Hundreds of Maryland educators gathered at a Baltimore County high school Monday with a singular focus: examining what drives students out of school - and what it will take to get them to stay.
Even though the state has been recognized nationally for its improvements in student performance, officials said Monday that there is still work to do to lower the dropout rate.
"We've reduced the performance gap, but not by nearly enough. We're sending more children of color to college, but not nearly enough," Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown told the crowd attending the dropout prevention leadership summit at Randallstown High School. "It's every child that needs to be able to benefit through our educational system. ... We have a lot of work to do to reduce the dropout rate in every community, in every high school in Maryland."
One of the expected outcomes of Monday's meeting is for all Maryland high schools to report a dropout rate of 3 percent or lower for all students in every student group, according to state officials.
The state dropout rate for the 2007-2008 school year was 3.4 percent, said Chuck Buckler, the state Department of Education's program manager for the student services and alternative programs branch, who served on the summit planning team.
The event also served to increase awareness of practices that work in dropout prevention and to spur the development of district "action teams" to design a dropout prevention plan for the 2009-2010 school year.
State schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick said those plans would be reflected in the master plans each school system is required to have. Beyond the benefits a diploma can bring to the individual student, she said, having educated students is key in keeping the country competitive.
"Dropping out is a process that does not begin in high school," Grasmick said. "It begins very early on." Teachers as early as elementary school could predict that a student will struggle later, she said. "We have a responsibility to intervene early and provide services at the very beginning of a student's academic career."
The transition from ninth to 10th grade marks "the greatest falloff for students," Grasmick said.
The summit is one of dozens supported by America's Promise Alliance, which focuses on improving youths' lives. The alliance, which is chaired by Alma Powell, the wife of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, aims to have 50 state and 50 city summits by 2010.
