Richland system could become model for state

Rayville High School’s retention program is becoming the model for the state.

Richland Parish Superintendent of Education Dr. Kathy Stockton, Sheldon Jones and the Rev. James Smith will travel to Baton Rouge to meet with Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek. Smith said the purpose of the meeting is to study ways the plan Richland Parish uses for dealing with dropouts and truancy can be adapted to work for the state system.

The policies developed in Richland Parish have seen the dropout rate in parish public schools drop from 13 percent to a low of 0.8 percent. Smith said tracking students is the key to the system.

“We track them all the way through,” Smith said. “That’s what helped us since we started doing this.”

Smith explained that students are followed throughout their stay in the school system to see where they go and why.

“A lot of people don’t realize you start out with a lot of students in first grade and by eighth grade, you might not have as many,” Smith said.

Students are tracked to see who is transferring to other schools, being home schooled, moving, failing or dropping out and faculty and the community works to respond to the changes.

“We’re blessed to have a community where everyone works together,” Smith said. “From the judges and the district attorney and law enforcement and the teachers. You’ve got to give credit to the teachers and that’s because Dr. Stockton expects great things from them.