CSUSB PROFESSOR PROPOSES PLAN TO REDUCE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE IN INLAND EMPIRE
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. –Establishing stronger relationships between students and teachers, getting school administrators to listen to students and framing the students as intellectuals are three of the 10 points posed by Louie F. Rodriguez, assistant professor of education at Cal State San Bernardino, as keys to reducing

high school dropout rates in the Inland Empire.

Addressing nearly 100 attendees at a community forum in November, Rodriguez didn’t tell them what they already knew: that the school dropout rates in the region are astonishing, especially for students from backgrounds or ethnicities where education has traditionally not been a priority.

Instead, he shared his research findings on what can be done to help solve the problem.

“We need to move beyond efforts that simply call attention to the crisis,” said Rodriguez. “The solutions, energy and wisdom are in our schools and communities every day. What we need are vehicles to set plans of action and act. We believe our work in the PRAXIS Project contributes to this effort.”

The Participatory Research Advocating for Excellence in Schools project, known as PRAXIS, is a school-based, university-affiliated research collaborative intended to respond to the education crisis facing the Inland Empire. Portions of the project were conducted at San Bernardino High School, while the majority of research was conducted at Colton High School, where Rodriguez is an alumnus.

“I had never had an experience where someone said my opinion mattered or that it could change the culture of the school,” said Karina Aguirre, who had previously participated in the project as a senior at Colton High School. Now a CSUSB student studying sociology, she is one of the researchers on the PRAXIS team.

The PRAXIS team’s research found that students who are more likely to drop out of school are also disproportionately facing many social and economic challenges at home and in their community, such as caring for younger siblings, assuming household responsibilities and other challenges typically associated with poverty. Therefore, the team proposed engaging these marginalized students by recognizing and acknowledging issues they face – critical factors in helping students succeed.

The research also indicated that these students are not only marginalized outside of school, but may face academic and social challenges in school, which compounds the inequality that the students experience.

Further research findings based on surveys and interviews revealed that factors such as student voice, experience, relationships with other school adults, pride in their school, preparation and teachers mattered significantly.

Led by Rodriguez as the principal investigator, the PRAXIS research team consisted of CSUSB graduates and undergraduates, educators, Colton High School alumni and community members. In addition to Aguirre, other team members included Michael Arteaga, CSUSB graduate student and CHS alumnus; Lydia Delgado, CSUSB undergrad student and CHS alumna; Martha Diaz-Zuniga, research assistant; Priscilla Gutierrez, CSUSB undergrad student; Stephan Silveira, CHS partner teacher; and Felix Zuniga, CSUSB alumnus.

A graduate of San Bernardino Valley College and Cal State San Bernardino, where he was a McNair scholar, Rodriguez was accepted to Harvard Graduate School of Education. There, he obtained two master’s degrees and a doctorate in administration, planning and social policy.

After holding various teaching positions on the East Coast as professor, researcher, middle school counselor and high school math teacher, Rodriguez returned to the Inland Empire in 2009, when he joined Cal State San Bernardino’s faculty in the educational leadership and curriculum department.

His experiences with at-risk youth in low-income communities inspired him to start a movement that would help change the face of education and provide solutions to the drop-out crisis affecting the Inland Empire.

Rodriguez was recently honored at San Bernardino Valley College’s 85th Anniversary Gala as one of its “85 People of Distinction.” Earlier this year he was awarded the Faculty Fellowship Award by the American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education. In 2010, he was the recipient of the “30 Under 35” Award for Latinos and Native Americans for service to his community by State Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter.

“My goal,” said Rodriguez of the PRAXIS study, “is to transform opportunities and create excellence for all schools across the Inland Empire and beyond.” He has been working to improve school culture and policy at his alma mater for the past two years.

For more information, visit the PRAXIS website at www.praxisinschools.com. For a copy of the executive summary report, contact Louie Rodriguez at louiefrodriguez@gmail.com.