Like Parents, Like Children

In the editorial, “Tale of Two Cities: Best, Worst of Times” (Sept. 27), The Times reports that Santa Ana and Irvine have the highest (36.7%) and lowest (2.1%) high school dropout rates in the nation. Then you explain that the statistics include teen-agers who moved to these communities after leaving school.

I think district officials deserve little credit or blame for the percentage of students who stay in school.

California Department of Education statistics printed in The Times (Dec. 10, 1989) show these contrasts in parent education levels.

In the three Santa Ana high schools, the percentages of parents who did not complete high school were: Saddleback, 37%; Santa Ana, 50%, and Valley, 47%. In Irvine, the percentage of parents who did not complete high school was 1% in all three high schools: Irvine, University and Woodbridge.

The percentages of parents who studied beyond high school in the Santa Ana district were: Saddleback, 36%; Santa Ana, 26%, and Valley, 23%. In contrast, the percentages for the Irvine schools were: Irvine, 80%; University, 88%, and Woodbridge, 80%.

Odds like these are hard to overcome. It seems Santa Ana can cut dropout rates significantly only by enrolling parents in high school or college or by building homes and neighborhoods that will attract educated young families.

Will this bother school officials or will they be comforted knowing the relevant factors are beyond their control?

TERRENCE W. HALLORAN, Garden Grove