SANTA ANA : ‘Last Chance’ Makes Dropout Difference

Pedro, 18, was just like dozens of other students that teacher Dorothy Fortune had seen before.

He was a gang member, inarticulate in both Spanish and English, and appeared to be on the road to nowhere.

The teen-ager had not yet dropped out of high school, but all signs indicated that it was only a matter of time before he did.

As a last resort, he was placed in the Student Transition and Retention (STAR) program, a joint effort between Rancho Santiago College and the Santa Ana Unified School District that tries to help potential high school dropouts chart a new course in life.

“When they come to us, it’s kind of their last chance,” said Fortune, who teaches English as a second language to program students.

“Once a kid is 18,” she said, “high schools don’t have to keep them any longer. We tell them that they can finish their education and make something of their lives.”

The STAR program, which has a successful graduation rate of about 80%, began in 1988, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Classes for the two-year program are held at the college.

The program helps students earn their high school diplomas and provides them with vocational job training. Students are also encouraged to transfer to a four-year college.

About 75% of those enrolled in STAR are Latinos, the rest of Southeast Asian parentage. Most of the students have limited English, which in many cases is the root of their academic problems.

“We encourage them,” Fortune said, “to overcome the many obstacles they may have in their lives, such as the language barrier, economic disadvantages and cultural adjustments.”

The program has helped about 200 students by offering one-on-one counseling, academic course work, vocational training, group advisory meetings and other services, such as child care, bus passes and part-time jobs.

To qualify, students must be 17 to 21 years old, one year behind their class and have been identified as a potential dropout by assistant principals, counselors and teachers.

“It’s a fantastic program,” said Robert D. Jensen, chancellor of the Rancho Santiago College District.

“It’s one of the strongest, most viable programs in the country that effectively deals with the dropout problem,” he said. “It’s an example of what two educational bureaucracies can do when they get together and share resources to attack educational issues.”

Rudy M. Castruita, superintendent of Santa Ana Unified School District, agreed.

“Without this program, most of these students would be either dropouts or working low-paying jobs,” Castruita said.

“They deserve all of the attention we’re giving them,” Fortune said. “They respond to us and are going to be functioning, positive parts of our community. That’s all we can ask of them.”