Serafines Program Puts Stress on Ways to Cut Dropout Rate

Two ways to reduce the high dropout rate of Latino students are to give students help and encouragement from the first day of school and to make sure the effort involves educators as well as parents.

A program designed to stir the Latino community into action was launched recently at Monroe Elementary School in Santa Ana by Serafines de Orange County, a group that raises scholarship funds for Latinos.

Serafines officials pleaded with parents to help keep Latino youngsters interested in school, to talk about school to them, read to them, discipline them and work with teachers and school officials to reassure the children that they do care about their futures.

That kind of positive action was called for by the Orange County Human Relations Commission and the National Conference of Christians and Jews when they became alarmed over the Latino dropout rate in the county.

Programs like the one in Santa Ana, which has one of the largest Latino enrollments in the state, are needed throughout the county before another generation of students is needlessly lost.