It is no mystery that drop-out rates in Saskatchewan are higher than they should be. Saskatchewan's rates, at 9.2 per cent for the 2009-2012 period, are above the Canadian average.
Saskatchewan has vastly improved its graduation rates in the past two decades. Like most provinces in Canada, dropout rates fell by around a third from the 1990-93 period to today. But there is much work to be done, and the challenges Saskatchewan faces have resulted in some rather creative solutions.
Students entering Grade 8 at John Paul II experienced one of these new approaches when the doors opened after Labour Day, though they might not have known it. Inspired by other schools in Saskatoon and even as far as British Columbia, JPII restructured its Grade 8 program in a way that will hopefully lead to a better classroom atmosphere, better adult role models, more cross-curricular work and more staff cooperation.
Despite its ambitious goals, the program is simple. Rather than putting Grade 8 students directly into a high school setting, students entering JPII are instead given a day that is structured slightly differently. In the afternoons, they will go to school like all other high school students, going from class to class, subject to subject, teacher to teacher. But in the morning, they will experience something closer to elementary schools, staying with a single group of students and a single teacher.
Carlo Hansen, JPII's principal, is cautiously optimistic about the program. The school has sought out versatile, personable teachers to run the morning blocks, he said, which will involve teaching language arts, Christian ethics, health and career classes. And it has made sure the classes themselves are "as well-balanced as possible" - for number, gender, grades and feeder schools.
Because the program has only been in place for a few weeks, results while be a while in coming. But the other schools JPII personnel toured that have similar programs have reported a wide range of positive benefits, the most important of which is an increased graduation rate.
But so far, early feedback from teachers and students has been positive. When asked Hansen about plans for the future, he expressed caution. But he was still hopeful for the program. Depending on its success, it could be extended to other schools and continue on Grade 9.
If the program lives up to its promises, or shows the kind of success that it has had in other schools, it could become a regular part of high school life in the community.
