Graduation rates are a key indicator of success for any academic program. In McLennan County, TX, the official graduation rate is 17%, which means that six years is the standard for a bachelor's degree program. The Waco Independent School District has seen a 3.5% decrease in dropout rates for homeless students and a 0.1% increase in graduation rates for emerging bilingual students who remain in school. Additionally, the dropout rate among high school students receiving special education services fell by 2.6%, and no high school student who received special education services dropped out of school, resulting in a 5.4% decrease in the dropout rate in grades 6 through 8.Susan Kincannon attributes these positive changes to an intervention system that provides support to students of all grades and actively monitors them on an individual basis.
The district's reading recovery program has teachers who specialize in training other teachers to ensure that students have a strong foundation in reading from the early years of elementary school. The results of this intervention system are clear: McLennan County, TX has seen a significant improvement in its graduation rate, with a 3.5% decrease in dropout rates for homeless students and a 0.1% increase in graduation rates for emerging bilingual students who remain in school. Furthermore, the dropout rate among high school students receiving special education services fell by 2.6%, and no high school student who received special education services dropped out of school, resulting in a 5.4% decrease in the dropout rate in grades 6 through 8.These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention system implemented by the Waco Independent School District and its commitment to providing quality education to all students regardless of their background or circumstances. With this system in place, McLennan County, TX can continue to improve its graduation rate and ensure that all students have access to quality education.
