ORONO – Even as the debate rages nationally about the most accurate way to report school graduation rates, state educators this week were more preoccupied with preventing students from dropping out than with counting them.

Providing students who are struggling academically with individualized, unique learning experiences; easing up on their homework; allowing them to transfer easily into adult education programs; and keeping in constant touch with their families were among the suggestions offered during a dropout prevention conference held Monday and Tuesday at the University of Maine.

The Maine Department of Education’s latest figures show that 1,799 students dropped out of public and private high schools in the 2003-2004 school year, 2.63 percent of the 68,525 students enrolled. Male dropouts outnumbered female dropouts by roughly 3 to 2. Females tended to drop out more often in their junior year, while males tended to leave school in their senior year.

William Davis, University of Maine professor of special education and director of the Institute for the Study of Students at Risk, told conference participants that a personal connection with an adult is “vital to keeping kids in school.”

Across the country, the vast majority of successful dropout prevention programs ensure that at-risk students have a personal relationship with a particular adult – usually a teacher – and are located in schools in which students feel that they belong and that they are valued and respected, said Davis who has compiled a Dropout Prevention Guidebook which will be distributed to all Maine schools this fall.

For a number of years schools have been required to create dropout prevention strategies, according to Shelley Reed of the Maine Department of Education, but some systems have made more progress than others.

There is now a renewed interest, however, because No Child Left Behind – the federal education reform law – requires states to report high school graduation rates each year to determine whether schools are making sufficient improvement, she pointed out.

During the conference, several educators whose school systems already have developed dropout prevention plans offered advice to about 90 teachers and administrators from throughout the state.

“Students who are struggling academically need to feel there’s some other connection in their life besides the failures they’ve experienced over and over again,” said Lew Collins, assistant superintendent in Union 42 (Readfield area). He recommended providing a more hands-on curriculum to make learning more relevant.

By identifying students’ interests and then allowing them to spend time with community workers such as boat builders, architects and journalists, they can see how their education will pay off.

Connecting at-risk students with a special teacher to advise him also is crucial, said Helen Nichols, alternative education coordinator in Belfast. She also recommended “constant communication” with parents and contacting them not only when a student is having difficulties, but “even when it’s a good day.”

Dick Marchi, principal at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, suggested reducing the volume of homework for at-risk students to “prevent overload.” Oftentimes, their lives are so complicated and stressful that expecting them to do homework at night is unrealistic, said Machi.

Jonathan Ross, director of adult and alternative learning in the Westbrook School Department, suggested making it easier for struggling students to transfer into a full-time adult education program where they work during the day and take classes at night. They have a better chance of earning a diploma both because they function better in the evening and because they are more engaged in the alternative learning experiences that adult education provides.

Students who are at risk of dropping out typically share several characteristics, said Davis. Described by teachers and other students as “sort of weird” and “kind of different,” they tend to struggle academically, be absent frequently, have substance abuse and mental health issues and exhibit behavioral problems. Students also have an increased chance of dropping out if they are employed, become pregnant, display low educational or occupational aspirations, are gay or lesbian, or come from low-income income homes.

But Davis cautioned educators against generalizing. “You need to cast a wide net to make sure that you catch students who don’t fit the model,” he said.

Schools should begin early to identify at-risk students, according to Davis. “The sooner you identify kids and provide interventions the better,” he said. He suggested looking at trends and patterns associated with students who run into trouble.

For example, after noticing that students from a particular sending town tended to drop out, the principal in one Maine school began giving them special attention.

Noting the recent spate of studies pointing out that states aren’t accurately reporting dropout and graduation rates, Davis said those types of discussions have been going on for years.

The feeling has always been that graduation rates are more reliable than dropout rates, said Davis, noting that it’s easier to account for students who graduated since there are so many questions about whether students actually dropped out or simply transferred to another school.

While noting that Maine, as well as a majority of states, is using a U.S. Department of Education recommended formula to determine graduation rates, he acknowledged that current figures may be underreporting the number of students who have dropped out.

Earlier this month, Gov. John Baldacci was one of 45 governors who pledged to adopt a common formula to determine graduation rates and create a better data system to collect, analyze and report information.

That new system will be up and running in September and will enable the state to calculate more-accurate graduation data, Deputy Education Commissioner Patrick Phillips said Tuesday. “Every student will have an individual identifier that will be used to monitor his or her progress through the grades.”