Shocking new numbers tonight… only two in every three Oregon high school students earns a diploma in four years.
That according to new figures released by state education officials.
There are two high schools in the Phoenix-Talent School District – Phoenix High School graduation rate 73%… and Armadillo Technical Institute… graduation rate 8%.
“It’s a different school for a different purpose, the data doesn’t present the whole picture.”
21 of the 59 kids in Armadillo’s 2011 class received GED’s… but the state doesn’t take GED’s into account in their statistics.
“You’re talking about kids who don’t learn by listening, they learn by doing, making mistakes and fixing them, they process info out loud as opposed to just listening or reading it.”
Many of the Armadillo students qualify as ‘high risk’, and some have even dropped out of various schools as many as 7 times.
“They tend to be about 2 years behind in reading on the average and 3 to 4 behind in math and almost no one comes in at grade level.”
The charter school has been part of the Phoenix-Talent School District for a dozen years and holds a special place in Sayres heart.
“Armadillo offers an important service to our youth, if the students didn’t have that school they most likely wouldn’t be in school.”
While the state says Armadillo needs improvement.. .they’re helping kids prepare for adulthood, and whether that’s through GED’s or diploma’s… the district says it’s a win for their students.
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