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Report Says American High Schools, Including Kansas City and Wichita Districts, Are in Crisis

Posted on: Thursday, 10 April 2008, 06:00 CDT

SPRING HILL, Kan., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- American high schools are in a state of crisis, including school districts in Kansas City and Wichita. So says the report issued last week from the Education Research Center and supported by both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and America's Promise Alliance. It is the same message heard three years ago from the Gates Foundation in their report The Silent Epidemic. Thirty percent of students entering high school don't graduate, and in large cities the failure to graduate reaches 48 percent.

In the Kansas City school district, the study reveals that the graduation rate for the 2003-2004 school year was 45.7 percent, with Kansas City ranking 40 out of 50 cities listed in the report.

In the Wichita school district, the study reveals that the graduation rate for the 2003-2004 school year was 59.6 percent, with Wichita ranking 19 out of 50 cities listed in the report.

In fact, in Kansas 159,000 students ages 14 to 17 do not attend traditional high school. In addition, 250,000 people over the age of 18 in Kansas have no high school diploma or an education less than 9th grade. Throughout the nation, nearly five million high school-age children do not attend high school.

The Silent Epidemic report stated that a majority of the students who fail to graduate had grades of C or better. Nearly 50 percent of these students said that class was not interesting and that they were bored and disengaged. Of those that left for personal reasons, 32 percent had to get a job, 26 percent became parents and 22 percent had to care for a family member.

As Insight School of Kansas begins enrollment on April 17th, this offering is increasingly critical to addressing some aspect of the larger crisis.

Insight School of Kansas' mission is to serve today's teens who are seeking a different kind of high school experience for a variety of reasons. This includes students who may realize greater success with the flexibility of studying at their own time, place and pace, and an education that agrees with their interests, learning style and abilities. It allows students to reach their potential by receiving their high school diploma.

"This growing crisis is the reason we founded Insight Schools," said Keith Oelrich, CEO of Insight Schools, Inc. "When the system is failing to meet the needs of this many students in our community, it is time to offer alternatives to that system. We're inspired by the success we've seen students experience in our schools and look forward to opening our virtual doors in Kansas."

Online high school is still a relatively new concept in education, but already it is showing success rates and proving that for some student populations this makes high school graduation not only possible but exceptional.

Another recent report supports the claim that online high school may be part of the solution. The Washington State Budget and Policy Center issued a report on March 24, 2008 Learning Online: An Assessment Of Online Public Education Programs.

From the report: "Online programs are reaching students who would not otherwise be attending a public school, or would not be in school at all."

The major finding of this report was that online public education programs are providing a high-quality, rigorous educational program for students who do not fit well in traditional public schools and that the curriculum not only meets, but often exceeds, state learning standards.

"We often say Insight is 'high school powered by you'," said Oelrich. "It really is in the truest sense. We meet students where they are both personally and educationally. They have to be motivated to be a successful student, but we remove all the barriers to learning and provide a level of flexibility and mentorship that is unmatched in traditional settings."

About Insight School of Kansas - Insight School of Kansas is a fully supported diploma-granting online public high school in Kansas. Insight School of Kansas is tuition-free for Kansas residents and is made possible through a partnership between Spring Hill Unified School District and Insight, Inc. Insight students learn in a personalized setting where they have access to 120 online courses, significantly more than any other online high school in Kansas. For more information, please visit http://www.insightks.net/ or call 800-260-0438.

About Insight Schools, Inc.- With four existing schools and four more opening this fall, Insight Schools operates the nation's largest network of tuition-free, diploma-granting, online public high schools. To learn more, call 800-975-8006 or visit http://www.insightschools.net/.

Existing schools include: Washington, Oregon, California and Wisconsin. New schools opening in Fall of 2008 include: Kansas, Minnesota, South Carolina and iSucceed Virtual High School in Idaho

MEDIA NOTE:

States are holding information sessions for interested families in April and May. Kansas information sessions begin on April 17. Details on information sessions are on the website.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT Cadie Connors (816) 931-8900 cconnors@parriscommunications.com

Insight School of Kansas

CONTACT: Cadie Connors, +1-816-931-8900,cconnors@parriscommunications.com, for Insight School of Kansas

Web site: http://www.insightks.net/http://www.insightschools.net/

Source: PRNewswire

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