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Bruce,

I'm sending you pom-poms so you can be the official cheerleader for Grier and his administrators.

I agree, it's great to see new programs that are helping drop-outs and low achievers. BUT, what many would like to see from Grier is NO MORE NEW programs UNTIL the ones that we AREADY have are running smoothly...for instance...fully staffed. It's very sad to see a program started and then left to fend for itself while the administration moves on to something bigger and better.

Sure, I'll give good ol' Grier a slap on the back for the Middle Colleges, but I implore him to take a step back after he creates a new school. He needs to evaluate its effectiveness, talk to the staff, talk to the parents, talk to the students, etc..to see if a little "tweeking" needs to be done before he's off to his next big idea. He's got a lot of unfinished business within the schools that already exist.

Terry,

Let's see..."Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Grier! Grier! Yay, Grier!"

In all seriousness, I have no intention of become a cheerleader for Dr. Grier and the central office. I know they consider me more of a nuisance than a booster. Besides, no one wants to see me in a miniskirt.

I'm just saying that the administration deserves a little credit for making some real headway into this dropout problem.

And the dropout problem is just that, a problem. In the grand scheme of things, it's a far bigger issue than magnet school programs, the High Point plan, redistricting or any of the issues we make a big deal of. Kids who drop out of high school are headed for low-wage, dead-end jobs - if they can get a job at all. Keeping students in school is in everyone's best interests.

There are plenty of legitimate things to criticize the central office (and yes, that includes Dr. Grier) about. Believe me, we've run plenty of stories about their shortcomings (the bus hub fiasco last August, for example).

But being fair means pointing out when someone is doing something good as well as pointing out when they drop the ball.

I need a little history lesson on this issue. Why is the drop out age 16? I read that the state leg. is considering raising it to 17. Why not 18? I am asking because I honestly want to know what the rational behind setting it at 16 was. Anyone know? It seems that raising it to 18 would automatically free up a lot of money that is being spent to get kids to come back after dropping out. Instead spend those dollars helping them succeed until they graduate. Then if a kid reaches 18 and is still not on track to graduate, let them choose to leave school and work. Can anyone site a case where a 16 year-old made the right choice when they left school for good?

Kim,

Good questions. The dropout age has been 16 for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure why that age was picked. Perhaps it's because that is the same age a person can obtain a driver's license, meaning they can drive themselves to and from work and be self-sufficient.

And, yes, if they are going to raise it, it seems they could just as easily raise it to 18 as 17.

Any one else have any ideas?

Bruce,

Saw the story about the drop out rate. Do you know one reason the figures are down is there are programs where kids can just stay at home and learn and get their diplomas. I am not saying that is bad - but these kids are not in school - just learning through home study.

Although the drop out rate may be down, why have you all quit reporting the violence and problems at the schools lately? There was a gang fight Friday morning at SW High and no one saw that in the papers. It did make the police reports in High Point. Heard several at Central High School got arrested recently too.

Is this because they are underage or is the negative news at the high schools not being reported now - part of their PR campaign?

Just curious.

Dear Bruce,

The numbers I have for students that enter ninth grade and then actually graduate in 4 years in Guilford County is 39% for African American children, and 68% for White children.

Can you address the discrepency in these numbers? If only 39% of African American children in this county who enter ninth grade actually graduate, why are we not as a County collectively "freaking out!?"

Terrina Picarello

Barbara Ann,

My fellow education reporter, Bruce Buchanan, tells me that the N&R checked out the reports of fights at Southwest and Central high schools and we chose not to write about them. He said that from what we were able to determine, they were isolated fights between a few students. They weren't indicative of widespread violence nor did they endanger the student body at large.

Remember, we can't report all fights. Fights happen all the time at schools. When those fights escalate (several students get arrested, someone is seriously injured, there are unusual circumstances) then we report them, if we can verify the information.

As for the district's PR strategies, the schools generally don't let us know when they've had a serious fight or problem.

For example, when the principals were injured breaking up fights earlier this school year, we didn't get a press release or phone call. We heard about those incidents from parents and confirmed the information through police reports and interviews.

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