A two-year-old initiative aimed at boosting student outcomes at 18 rural high schools across North Carolina is helping keep students in school and on track to graduation. The combined dropout rate for the first five schools to join the effort fell by nearly a third in 2011-2012 to 2.43 percent from 3.53 percent the year before, according to recently released state data.

The innovative rural schools initiative, led by North Carolina New Schools, strengthens traditional high schools by embedding master educators in schools to work collaboratively with teachers and principals who actively participate in intense professional development around proven strategies that increase expectations for classroom rigor, relevance and student engagement. That critical support, along with other innovative elements such as access to college courses, is yielding significant results in the state’s growing number of successful early college high schools.

The U.S. Department of Education recently highlighted early colleges on its rigorous What Works Clearinghouse website based on national research — including early colleges in North Carolina — which found significant evidence of positive results in the schools.

An initial group of five North Carolina high schools that pioneered the rural initiative beginning in the 2012-2013 school year saw a significant decline in the number of dropouts during that first year. Together, the five schools counted 38 fewer dropouts in 2012-2013 compared to the year before — improving from 117 students who quit in 2011-2012 to 79 last year.

Tony Habit, president of NC New Schools, lauded the schools for taking the often difficult steps needed to improve outcomes for students by changing their own practice and beliefs.

“The teachers and principals in these schools are going the extra mile to improve their practice and help students achieve success,” Habit said. “The success of early colleges rests, in large part, on the integrated and aligned system of professional learning for educators that NC New Schools has been developing and refining during the last 10 years.

“It’s changing the way teachers teach and students learn,” Habit said. “These traditional high schools are demonstrating that the same approaches can work well with all students, in other settings. We know this strategy works.”

The first schools joining the initiative, known as North Carolina Investing in Rural Innovative Schools, were Northside and Southside high schools in Beaufort County, Madison High School in Madison County, East Rutherford High School in Rutherford County and North Surry High School in Surry County.

In 2011-2012, the dropout rates for three of the five schools were worse than the state’s overall rate of 3.01 percent. The latest data, for 2012-2013, showed three of the five schools with dropout rates below the state’s overall 2.45 percent dropout rate.

The two high schools in Beaufort County, which had already made dramatic progress with dropouts the year before joining the rural innovation initiative, have continued to make further gains or sustain strong dropout results. Northside High School’s dropout rate was only 0.7 percent last year, significantly less than the statewide rate of 2.45 percent; Southside High School lost one student more than the previous year, but still had a dropout rate of less than 2 percent.

Significant improvement was measured at the other three schools as well:

• Madison High School’s dropout rate declined to 2.66 percent from 3.28 percent in 2011-2012.
• East Rutherford High School’s rate declined to 2.19 percent from 2.92 percent.
• North Surry High School’s rate declined to 3.61 percent from 5.39.

The approach of the rural innovation effort borrows from North Carolina’s successful early college high schools, where students can earn an associate degree or up to two years transferrable college credit in addition to a high school diploma. Of equal importance, the schools benefit from a well-integrated system of support that includes extensive instructional coaching for teachers, leadership coaching for principals, and other professional development elements that focus on the goal of graduating all students ready for college and careers.

Teachers learn to use data effectively for instructional planning. They learn to collaborate with one another to focus more closely on the needs of individual students. They develop a culture where teachers are encouraged to take risks than improve teaching and learning. They learn to challenge all students to read, write, think and talk in every class, every day.

The goal of the rural innovation initiative is for students to earn as many as 21 college credits by the time they graduate. Students take the classes tuition free and also receive academic support from their high school teachers. They learn to challenge all students to read, write, think and talk in every class, every day.

The rural innovation initiative is funded by a $15 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation program combined with $1.5 million in support from businesses and foundations. NC New Schools is joined in the effort by several partners, including the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the N.C. Community College System and 11 rural school districts across the state.