Hannibal schools do good job of lowering dropout rate

The sooner the better.
It’s hard to beat that philosophy when it comes to education.
Students who properly learn the basics at a young age have a far better chance of success in life than those who don’t pick up such skills. The same can be said about attitudes toward school itself.
The dropout rate is rising in Missouri and across the nation, but it’s going down in Hannibal.
Hannibal saw its dropout rate fall from 7.7 percent in 2007-2008 to 4 percent in the school year that just ended.
Meanwhile, the graduation rate went up from 73.3 percent to 79.9 percent.
The credit goes to a dedicated staff of administrators and teachers who have put an intensive focus upon keeping kids in school and making sure they have the credits to graduate.
There are many reasons kids give up on education.
But at the heart of Hannibal’s effort to keep them in class is a recognition that the problems which lead students to drop out often start long before they get to high school.
A wide-ranging tool called the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan targets everything from math and reading scores to technology training and language arts skills.
It’s a complex system aimed at all students, whose progress is monitored regularly.
Built into the framework, however, is a kind of instructional radar that can catch most red flags and deal with kids on the edge before major problems erupt.
The Hannibal school district is to be commended for taking such a hands-on approach.
Study after study proves that people who don’t get a high school diploma are more likely to earn less in the workplace and have other difficulties in life.
In Hannibal, administrators and staff are doing a great job of trying to making sure our kids graduate.
We know they will continue the fine effort.