Clay County school grad rates are 4th highest in the state

Getting their high school diploma

Clay County school grad rates are 4th highest in the state

By Frank Bradley

Sentinel writer

To paraphrase an idea from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “It takes a community to raise a high school graduate.” A caring community, a sharing community and one that values education. Clay County’s parents, teachers, businesses and ordinary citizens fit that description, which is the principal reason that our schools and students have continued to excel.

Last week, Clay County Schools was recognized along with nine other schools systems in the state for having the highest percentage of high school graduates for the school year ending in 2010. Clay County ranked fourth highest in the state with a graduation rate of 86.5 percent. Which means that for every ten students who began high school in 2006, almost nine of them graduated on time, in four years or less.

Superintendent Scott Penland and school board chairman Charles Lee Penland attended an event in Raleigh in which Governor Bev Perdue recognized the ten top school systems and 21 individual schools that posted the highest graduation rates.

Governor Perdue said the innovative spirit of these schools “embody the kind of thinking we need as we work toward a common goal of making sure every single student graduates high school ready for careers and college.”

“I’m very excited that Clay County Schools has the 4th highest graduation rate in the state. I was pleased that the Governor and State Superintendent took time out of their busy schedules to honor the Top Ten in NC. They are very committed to making sure every child graduates,” Scott Penland said.

“This award goes to all faculty and staff from preK through grade 12. It all begins in the early grades. The better job we can do in preparing students for middle and high school, the better chance we have for their success. We firmly believe that giving students a firm foundation for learning in the early years will pay huge dividends in the future.”

School board chairman Charles Penland said, “We set the bar high in Clay County and are not surprised when the students reach our high expectations. I commend the students, faculty, staff and parents for a job well done.”

State Superintendent June Atkinson said, “More than report card grades, state test scores or SAT results, the graduation rate reflects our ability to keep students engaged in school and learning so that they will earn a high school diploma.”

She said that while she commends these schools for their fine performance, all of the state’s schools must do more to ensure that every student makes it to graduation day with the skills needed for success in the future.

“Continued investment in early childhood education, efforts to extend learning beyond the school year, focused attention on student absences in middle school, development of Ninth Grade Academies, redesign of high schools into early college or career cluster models, implementation of a new statewide school accountability model and parent and community engagement in schools are all proven strategies to keep students from dropping out,” Atkinson said.

The loss of human talent and potential and the cost of high school drop outs to our society are far too great for us to not direct substantial time, energy and resources to working together to address and solve this crisis,” Atkinson concluded