By Public News Service-AZ

Some good news in education: Arizona's high school dropout rate has been cut in half since the year 2000, according to the "Kids Count Data Book" released this week. Arizona School Boards Association executive director Panfilo Contreras credits creative teaching approaches, such as alternative schools with flexible hours for students who work, for the improvement.

Other innovative programs help fight boredom, which he says is the number one cause for dropping out.

"Probably the best example of that is the Sunnyside School District in Tucson, which has, through a benefactor, been issuing laptops that kids take home, with access to the Web, for them to stay on top of the work at school. Makes it fun."

However, Contreras says the progress is threatened by continuing state budget cuts. He notes that the latest data on dropout rates is from 2008, before recent cuts to education funding took effect.

Contreras says dropout prevention strategies consume resources, however. Hiring extra teachers for alternative and recovery school programs, or checking on kids when they're absent from school for several days, costs money, he points out.

"It takes staff and staff time to do. And the more we cut, the more people look at what we can do without, to keep strong programs in the classroom."

From a long-term perspective, Contreras says dropout prevention starts early in life with programs that prepare kids to learn. He's especially concerned about a ballot measure this fall to end the First Things First early childhood program and use its funding to reduce the state's budget deficit.

"It's just crazy that the same legislature that is passing a law that kids must read by third grade is taking away a major, major tool by trying to confiscate the funds in First Things First."

Contreras says schools need to focus extra effort to keep kids from falling behind at every grade level, because when it comes to high school, the farther a kid falls behind, the easier it is for them to give up.

The "Kids Count" report is available at www.datacenter.kidscount.org.

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