CAPE AND JACKSON LEAD WAY IN GRADUATION RATES

When a student starts his freshman year in high school, the societal expectation is graduation in four years.

In Missouri, one in four teenagers do not.

Recently released 1993 figures place the state's four-year graduation rate at 72.8 percent -- down from 73.2 percent in 1993.

The trend is nothing new -- it's been that way for nearly two decades. But that's no reason for complacency. Missourians should simply not settle for this statistical "norm."

In Cape Girardeau and Jackson public school districts, the four-year "completion" rate is much higher -- hovering near the 95 percent mark in 1993.

By far, the lowest completion rates in the state occur in the city of St. Louis and Kansas City.

Graduation rates in these urban districts are an astonishing 50 percent or lower. No doubt the vast numbers of students in these two districts influences the statewide averages. But the problem is not exclusive to urban Missouri. A number of other school districts -- both rural and suburban -- share graduation rates at or below the state average.

Local districts should feel proud of these rates -- but there's no cause to celebrate.

All Missouri taxpayers pay the price for high school dropouts.

The issue of graduation dropout rates shouldn't become one of rural versus urban ... or of haves and have nots. It's a problem we all must address.

High school dropout rates are especially high among Missouri's prison population. Many welfare, Aid to Family with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Medicaid recipients are high school dropouts.

What adds urgency to this dropout problem is a changing world and economy.

Twenty years ago, a high school drop out might have easily found a decent job and raised a family on that income. But times have changed, and many of those entry level jobs now require more basic skills and education.

What can Missourians do to slow and eventually reverse this drop out trend?

We don't believe that money alone is the answer. A bundle of dollars are being funneled into the cities of St. Louis and Kansas through the desegregation judgment. And yet those districts have dismal graduation rates.

Let's open up the discussion on ways to help kids stay in school -- even if they may seem somewhat radical.

Some educators have suggested that students should be limited in the number of hours they work during the school week -- especially those students who are struggling academically. There's a strong statistical connection between students with academic problems and those who work excessive hours.

Another idea that has been proposed is linking a student's driver's license to school attendance. Drop out of school -- lose your license. We all know that driving is important to teenagers.

No doubt a host of other suggestions will be posed. We urge Missouri's leaders to prioritize this issue, shifting the spotlight of state attention.

A balance must be struck between raising graduation standards and forcing more borderline students from school.

School districts themselves must also be involved in this quest for more graduates. Potential drop outs should be identified earlier. Alternative teaching approaches may also reach struggling students.

There are thousands of reasons why kids drop out of school. It's not always a tale of tragedy, woe, crime and welfare. A number of these dropouts realize they have made a mistake, and return for a G.E.D.

This dropout problem is not unique to Missouri. The national average has remained steady at about 75 percent. But there's nothing to say that Missouri can't wake up and take the lead on this problem.

Missouri's high dropout rate signifies a waste of teenage potential. We must find ways to harness that potential and keep these kids in school.