SMU and Dallas Independent School District are working together to curb a high dropout rate among high school students.
DISD announced a new plan Oct. 22 that will receive help from SMU and seven other colleges and universities in Texas. The plan includes new and existing programs to encourage high school students to attend college and lower DISD’s dropout rate, which is at 33 percent.
According to SMU President R. Gerald Turner, the university’s efforts will go toward “increasing the graduation rate among DISD students and helping them prepare for college.”
SMU already has many programs geared toward high school students, like workshops, mentoring, community projects and informational forums. DISD wants to expand on these existing programs and expose young students to college even before they reach high school.
“We want to increase the completion of graduation rates,” said Rene Martinez, head of the Dropout Prevention and Community Outreach program for DISD.
Martinez believes that targeting younger adolescents will raise their awareness and encourage them to continue their education. DISD is challenging SMU to recruit mentors and tutors to dedicate one hour a week to ninth grade students in the surrounding schools.
“SMU students have been some of the best tutors we’ve used in DISD,” Martinez said, adding he encourages the faculty and students of SMU to get involved in these volunteer programs for young people.
He believes that SMU’s help will raise the expectation levels of high school students and therefore motivate them to prepare for college.
DISD also is encouraging SMU alumni that have graduated from DISD schools to consider setting up endowments. Martinez challenges other alumni to fund scholarships, such as the Dedman North Dallas High School Scholarship Fund. They want five students from other DISD high schools to each receive $25,000 per year for all four years.
This opportunity will accompany the many existing programs that SMU will offer junior high and high school students. Department workshops, tutoring, campus visitations, admission initiatives and SMU programs for DISD teachers are all a part of SMU’s efforts to decrease the dropout rate in DISD and increase admissions from DISD students.
“Our goal is to broaden the possibilities for individual achievement and contributions to society,” Turner said.
SMU students can get directly involved with these programs by donating their time to be a tutor or mentor to a student in DISD.
Martinez thinks this is a great opportunity for SMU students to participate in because all the schools are close to campus.
“The beauty of SMU is that it is surrounded by DISD schools,” Martinez said.
