Page High School Takes Team
Approach to Drop-Out Prevention

PAGE - February 16, 2010 - Meet Manuel. Manuel’s family didn’t believe him; they simply couldn’t comprehend the 21-year-old had finished high school.

But Manuel had the paperwork to prove it.  There was no denying he was the first member of his family to graduate high school, thanks in no small part to a program headed up by Page High School’s Sharon Woodard.

When Woodard sees an ‘at-risk’ student walking down the halls of Page High School; when she hears about the problems they may be causing teachers, school staff or other students, her thoughts turn to an iceberg – the student’s problem behavior is simply the tip visible over the water; the roots of the problem run much deeper.

Woodard and the rest of Page High School’s drop-out prevention team – and the operative term is team – seek to dig deeper to address the core issues behind the student’s behavior, absenteeism or other factors which may put them at-risk.

The system is working – just ask Manuel.

“(My family) said I wouldn’t finish, but I did,” Manuel said, a huge smile covering his face. 

Then there’s Dominic.  He admittedly needed a little tough love – he freely admits he was about to give up. That tough love is now going to pay off with a high school diploma.

“You guys had to stay on me, but now it paid off, ‘cause I’m going to graduate,” Dominic proclaims.

Woodard said one of the main keys to the program’s success is the team approach.  Her team includes fellow teachers, the school’s guidance counselors, CTE (Career &Technical Education) program staff, a Navajo Nation liaison as well as a representative from a Navajo substance abuse program. Other collaborating partners include:

• Tuba City Prosecutor’s Office
• The local city attorney
• City and County Probation: Matrix Program
• Child Protective Services
• Heath Start and Healthy Families
• DES (Department of Economic Security)
• Safe Schools Healthy Families Federal grant
• Department of Education Dropout Prevention/AIMS Intervention grant

The team works closely to gather information on at-risk students on its ‘watch list.’ The information gathered helps to start attacking the “iceberg.”

“We’re asking, ‘What’s below the surface?’” Woodard explained.  “If we can uncover what’s controlling the behavior, we can develop a strategy for working with the student.  Our approach is relationship driven – we’re trying to understand the circumstances our students are facing.”

Team members discuss and utilize a number of strategies for working with the at-risk students, with the goals of: 1) Keeping the student in school; 2) Ensuring the student graduates on-time; and 3) Ensuring the students graduate no matter how far past their colleagues they are.

Manuel and Dominic aren’t isolated success stories – Woodard said the program has helped Page High School maintain a three-percent drop-out rate, below the state average of  3.6-precent.  The news has also been promising for pregnant and parenting students – 24 pregnant and parenting students have stayed in school and/or graduated due to identification and placement in the Alternative Education program. 

All pregnant and parenting students (male and female) are placed on the “Watch List” due to the increased risk of dropping out.  Support from outside agencies is coordinated on their behalf and most enroll in the county’s Health Start or Healthy Families programs.