Wednesday, June 11, 2003 | 11:25 a.m.
Every year the Kids Count national survey says Nevada's high school dropout rate is among the worst in the nation, and every year the Clark County School District says the annual report's data gathering system is flawed.
This year is no different.
Nevada has the nation's third highest dropout rate among students age 16-19, the 14th annual survey says -- an improvement of one position over the 49th place finish in last year's national Kids Count report.
Overall, Nevada improved its overall national ranking, based on its performance in 10 statistical categories, with first being best. Nevada came in 32nd in the 2003 survey which uses data from 2000. Nevada was ranked 35th in the 2002 survey which used data from 1999. Nevada was ranked 40th in 1990.
According to the statistics, Nevada made few significant gains or losses between 2002 and this year, improving slightly in four categories, dipping slightly in five others and remaining unchanged in one.
The 14 percent dropout rate in this year's survey does not jibe with the Nevada Department of Education figures, which show a 5.7 percent dropout rate for Clark County and a 5 percent rate for the state.
The reason for the discrepancy, local officials say, is that the state and Kids Count use different statistical gathering methods for determining dropout rates.
Nevada uses the "event method," which counts students actually enrolled in the system who drop out in Nevada. Kids Count uses the "status method," counting 16- to 19-year-olds who should be in school but aren't.
School officials have long maintained the Kids Count method is not fair to Nevada because thousands of teenagers leave schools in other states and come to Nevada to work in high-paying, entry-level jobs in hotels and construction instead of enrolling in high schools here.
"It's a perennial problem" with the dropout statistics, said Augie Orci, deputy superintendent of Clark County Schools.
He said there are other factors as well.
"We have a lot of children who come in who speak other languages, and the state is stingy about giving us the funds to help to deal with English language learners. And that could contribute to the dropout rate. It's a very difficult situation for us. We have real big inner-city problems."
Keith Schwer, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas economist, director for the school's Center for Business and Economic Research and Kids Count spokesman for Nevada, says regardless of the method used, Nevada has a dropout problem.
"The key point is it doesn't matter whether you measure by apples or oranges because not all of the states keep records of graduation rates the same way," he said.
"What does matter is, regardless of the indicator, Nevada is below the national average. We are not keeping kids in school when they come here."
Schwer said that, while the transient nature of the state can be blamed in part, officials have to strive to make adjustments for the sake of the children who move here with their families.
Kids Count, a project of the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, says Nevada has not improved much in the dropout rate in 10 years, noting it had a 15 percent rate according to the organization's 1990 survey and a 16 percent rate in last year's survey.
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