THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406260126
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940626 LENGTH: NORFOLK
Figures for the class of 1993, the latest available, reveal a third consecutive year of disappointing numbers that point to a failure to reach a segment of children most in need of a good education.
{REST} ``There's no doubt that the figures are not something we can take pride in,'' Norfolk schools Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. said Friday.
School officials and the African-American community were shocked three years ago by a report revealing that 90 percent of public-housing students who entered ninth grade in fall 1987 either dropped out, flunked out or graduated in 1991 with a D average.
Statistics for the 1993 graduating class are essentially the same, but they do contain a few glimmers of hope.
The number of graduating seniors in public housing increased slightly. Excluding transfers, 37.8 percent who entered ninth grade in fall 1989 earned a diploma, compared to 36.6 percent in 1992 and 30.8 percent in 1991.
Of the 357 public-housing students who entered ninth grade in fall 1989 and should have graduated in 1993, 124 of them - 34.7 percent - dropped out. That's down significantly from the reported 46.2 percent dropout rate in 1991.
The number of public housing graduates who earned a C average in 1993 increased to 13 percent, up from 12 percent in 1992 and 10 percent a year earlier.
On the downside, most of the 1993 public-housing graduates barely squeaked by, earning grades that would make it difficult to enter college or compete for high-wage jobs.
The majority - 63 percent, slightly more than the previous two years - maintained only a D average. Of the 92 public housing graduates, only two earned B averages, while 32 maintained a C average.
There are signs, though, that Norfolk school officials and community leaders are determined to turn failure into success.
A task force appointed by Nichols this month, for instance, issued a series of recommendations to boost the academic performance not only of public-housing children, but of all low-income and African-American students - more than 60 percent of Norfolk's 35,000 students.
Strategies range from increasing parental and community involvement to improved teaching methods. To increase accountability, Nichols convinced the School Board to hire a $70,000 administrator who will be a watchdog to ensure that the job gets done.
Nichols acknowledged that the task won't be easy. There's a myriad of social ills that contribute to poor school achievement besides what happens in the classroom - problems such as crime, drugs, violence and broken family lives that go beyond what schools alone can solve, he said.
``It may take some time, because there are so many reasons behind this,'' Nichols said. ``We need to attack these on all fronts.''
Many community groups in public-housing neighborhoods already have started, creating mentor and tutoring programs, among other efforts to engage the minds of young blacks.
``You've got kids in public housing who are very motivated, very determined,'' said Reginald L. Towns, executive director of the Hunton YMCA at the Tidewater Gardens housing project. ``They aren't all on drugs, they aren't all dropping out, they aren't all on the path to despair.'' by CNB