New Othello superintendent seeks higher graduation rate

OTHELLO — If you are not an educator who’s fully concerned about the success of your students, you may not really fit in at the Othello School District. New Superintendent Chris Hurst indicated Monday he will expect it.

Hurst unveiled a vision for success to about 30 district administrators and others. Called the Early Warning System, it is designed to identify students in need of help the first day of school and every day after that.

“If a student is absent the first day of school, there should be a phone call,” Hurst said.

Or some other type of follow-up.

After the introduction of the EWS, Hurst and Lupe Martinez, of School Data Solutions, guided administrators through the workings of the EWS on their own computers.

Hurst told those gathered that, after he researched Othello student data extensively, he was convinced the Early Warning System (EWS) was needed. He said a “vision” was needed for the school climate.

Hurst has done a lot of research over the years about the causes of student failure. He knew the people who developed the EWS and used it at Oceanside, Calif. He doesn’t know if it’s used elsewhere in this state, but it will be at Othello.

Early warning systems (EWS) rely on readily available data housed at the school to:

Predict which students are at risk for dropping out of high school.

Target resources to support off-track students while they are still in school, before they drop out.

Examine patterns and identify school climate issues.

Of concern to Hurst specifically was the fact that 4.89 percent of Othello students have been suspended or expelled and 12.5 percent of students have had absentee problems (18 days or more).

“That was something that popped out at me,” he said.

Hurst also mentioned low grade point average or no grade point average, classes failed (missed graduation credits). He said statistics show that students who fail just two classes as freshmen see their chances of graduating drop to 51 percent.

All of these factors and others, he said, result directly in a poor graduation rate, which at Othello High School is 75 percent.

The EWS is not just a warning system. It has an action component which, if followed, will help some students and could help all of them.

Among other things, student success will require a learning environment and rigorous and relevant instruction. It may require targeted interventions such as adult advocates, academic supports and social/behavioral supports.

“We are implementing this proactive system to ensure that our students are on track for graduation,” Hurst said. “We believe that this is great work on behalf of our students.”