STOPPING DROPOUTS

At-risk students in the public school system are a big concern for educators. They also are a concern for future employers who some day will either reject students who didn't complete high school or, in some cases, waste money trying to make them productive. And the at-risk students are a concern for taxpayers who wind up spending far more for many dropouts because of extra social-service costs, rehabilitation or prison upkeep.

That isn't to say that all dropouts are failures. In some cases they find their niche in life and become productive -- and, in a few cases, prosperous -- contributors to the social fabric.

But the dropout problem is alarming. The statewide rate for Missouri high schools is 5 percent. In Cape Girardeau the rate is more than double the state's average but still far below the 40 percent rate in some schools in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Dan Tallent, Central High school principal and superintendent-designate for the Cape Girardeau public schools, is worried about at-risk students who, if appropriate measures aren't taken, are likely to drop out of school. While the new alternative education center is providing a good way for some problem students to complete high school, there is still a need for more effort to figure out which students are likely to falter along the education path. Tallent rightly suggests this is a process that starts early, in elementary grades even, rather than waiting until a student is on the brink.

There may be other incentives for students to stay in school and make an effort to learn. For several years a perennial bill in the Missouri Legislature has sought to raise the age requirement for leaving school to 18 years old from the current 16. Those bills generally have been tied to getting a driver's license. Backers of the bills believe that connection may have doomed the bills. This year a Senate bill seeks simply to raise the age limit to 18.

Tying school attendance to the ability to obtain and keep a driver's license has merit, however. Such a link might even be an incentive for a younger student, say an eighth grader, who knows that staying in school is the only way to get a driver's license.

Of course, teachers, principals and other students who aren't at risk may question forcing uninterested students to stay in the classroom where they can be disruptive and can hinder learning opportunities for others. But the need to find ways to entice students, even those who are likely to become problems, to learn is tantamount. In the long run, the dividends of educating reluctant students are far greater than letting then out of the system too easily.