PARENTS ARE FIRST DEFENSE AGAINST DROPOUT

The reasons high school students leave the classroom and become dropout statistics are as varied as the students themselves: learning problems, lack of motivation, pregnancy, trouble at home, desire to earn wages.

School districts in this area, like school all over the state and nation, are perplexed about how to cope with the dropout problem. One program that appears to be reaching some students in the alternative school, which is keeping a number of students in special classes away from the high school in several Southeast Missouri districts.

But there is one factor that appears to be common to almost every dropout: parental involvement -- or the lack of any concern on the part of parents.

School and community leaders can make an earnest effort to deal with dropouts, but, in the end, it is parents who will ultimately make the difference. Instead of new programs aimed at students, it might be better to concentrate on making sure parents understand their responsibility for making sure their children are properly educated and receive a high school diploma. If parents took charge of this problem, it would all but go away.