Dramatic rise in Alabama graduation rates result of innovation, effort
Pinson Valley High School is one of the reasons the state graduation rate rose dramatically in 2015. (Christopher Jones/Alabama NewsCenter)
When Terrence Brown took over as principal of Pinson Valley High School in 2012, one of his primary goals was to increase the graduation rate. While the 71 percent grad rate wasn’t that much lower than the state average of 75 percent, it was nowhere near where Brown thought it should be.
At the first staff meeting he held with teachers after being named principal, he outlined a plan to keep kids in school. The first item on that plan was a demand that all faculty members care about the students.
“I think I shocked a lot of people during that first staff meeting because I said the first thing I wanted to do is give a damn,” he said. “That doesn’t mean giving students a free pass – it means knowing a kid’s story. If they’re not doing their homework, understand why. It’s very difficult to do your homework when you’re helping to raise three kids at home.”
Other parts of the plan included putting more focus on career tech classes for students who were interested in career paths such as law enforcement, and adding support systems such as before-, during- and after-school tutoring for students who were behind.
Brown’s plan paid off. By 2015, Pinson Valley High School’s graduation rate had soared to 90 percent and Brown was promoted to an administrative position in Jefferson County Schools’ Central Office.
Increasing the graduation rate has been a primary focus across the state, and is one of the main objectives in PLAN 2020, the Alabama Department of Education’s template for public education reform.
The Alabama Board of Education supported the ambitious goal of reaching a 90 percent graduation rate by the year 2020, and the state is almost there, posting an 89 percent graduation rate in 2015.
That’s quite the increase from five years ago, when the grad rate was 72 percent. State Superintendent Tommy Bice attributes the rise, in part, to giving local school districts the freedom to develop innovative practices through community partnerships, such as with businesses, churches and civic clubs.
“The renewed focus on career academies is another big factor, in alignment and partnership with business and industry,” he said. “Now they graduate with credentials – academic and technical – recognized by our two-year and four-year colleges and business and industry.”
For every 1 percentage-point increase in the graduation rate, about 600 additional students graduate from high school. More than 10,000 students are earning their high school diplomas annually than just five years ago.
Bice said although he is pleased with the increases in the graduation rate, the state must continue its efforts to make sure students not only are graduating, but are prepared for the workforce or college.
“These graduation numbers are a huge indicator that Alabama students and teachers are working harder, and doing so with higher academic standards than were previously used,” he said. “This most recent graduating class completed most of their high school coursework under the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, standards that are more aligned with the expectations of business and industry, as well as colleges and universities.”
Graduation rates are just one of many challenges facing public education today, Bice said, and just one component of PLAN 2020. Increasing proficiency for all students, closing the achievement gap between subgroups, making sure teachers are well-resourced and supported, and adequate funding for schools and school systems are some of the objectives outlined in the plan.
“We have a long way to go. But we are encouraged by the movement in the right direction that shows Alabama’s best days in public education are ahead,” Bice said. “It is in the best interest of our state’s education, economy and social structure to keep moving forward along the path that has been laid for public education in Alabama.”
