As Contra Costa Dropouts Skyrocket, Parents Help With College Prep
PITTSBURG (KCBS)- East Contra Costa schools have very high dropout rates and some parents there are now working to reverse that trend by putting the focus on college.
Recent figures show the Pittsburg School District has a drop out rate of almost 31 percent, while the Antioch district is at nearly 26 percent.
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
Darice Ingram of Parents Connected said some parents are partly to blame.
"They would just send their children to school and just expect everything to be okay, without realize the workload that our counselors would have," said Ingram.
She adds that one comprehensive high school in Antioch last year had one full time, and one part time counselor for 2,800 students.
Ingram's non-profit now works to inform hundreds of students about SAT exams, course requirements and scholarship availabilities.
"Our goal is to get students prepared, as much as possible, to go into college from high school," said Ingram.
She also said that her group, Parents Connected, tries to empower parents so they can make decisions about their child's academic future. The organization now has more than 300 members.
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