2012 senior class photos
2012 West Carrollton graduation
Home of the Week
Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > May > 04 > Entry
Scott Elliott: School helps kids grow up, catch up
David White thought he had a great idea when Dayton Public Schools asked the innovative principal to launch a school for dropouts in 2006.
He’d hook the kids with video games, he thought. Students would run their own company while brushing up their basic skills; in teams, they would develop educational video games and try to sell them to school districts.
The video game concept, it turned out, was a flop.
The Dayton Technology Design High School, on the other hand, has blossomed. Like any good entrepreneur, White, over three years, has refined his program, kept what worked, discarded what didn’t, and shown results.
In a recent Dayton Daily News story, staff writer Anthony Gottschlich reported the school has grown from 60 kids the first year to 130 and has sent 60 students to college. That is extraordinary considering the kids the school targets are at the highest risk for failure. Most have dropped out of school and have a history of arrest and juvenile offenses.
Even so, last year 83 percent of kids who enrolled stuck with the program, up from just 50 percent the first year. Recently relocated to the former Dayton Public Schools administration building at 348 W. First St., the district-sponsored charter school next year will add a third grade level to the program aimed at preparing kids for college-level work.
The staff’s intense support — helping kids grow up and learn to be adults while catching up academically — helps keep students on track. But the other big draw is the chance to start and run a money-making business.
That part of the initial school concept White kept when the video game idea crashed and burned.
“Out of the original 85 kids, we only had about five that wanted to do video games,” he said.
Instead, the revamped program allows the kids to choose their own small-business ideas. Teams write a business plan, create a sales pitch, launch the operation and manage it.
Some examples:
— After last fall’s windstorm, a teacher who lives in Greene County chopped up fallen trees on his property and brought in wood pieces that students shaped and finished into cutting boards to sell.
— One team has 17 contracts for their lawn mowing service.
— Students combined a science fair project studying vegetable growing methods with a business that cuts those vegetables up for salads and sells them at nearby businesses during lunch time.
Later this month, this year’s teams will present their plans to a panel of business people, who will rank them and pick a winning team. Teams also are entering the University of Dayton’s business plan competition.
“We try to unleash creativity and problem-solving,” White said.
In doing so, the Dayton Technology Design High School is getting even the most discouraged kids excited about learning and their futures — kids who, but for White and his staff, might have been headed for serious trouble.
“I can’t see how we are better off locking a kid up for two years than reforming them through education,” White said.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns, Education, Scott Elliott
Comments
By Linda
May 4, 2009 3:37 PM | Link to this
I attended the Open House and it was very informative. The student ideas for various businesses were great. I’m proud to have a school, such as this in the Dayton area
By Retired Educator
May 4, 2009 3:45 PM | Link to this
Great article. Best of Luck during the competition!! Continued success to you, the students and especially your staff and teachers… Invite the Mayor and her staff to visit sometime.
By Dayton Public School Teacher
May 4, 2009 3:55 PM | Link to this
Some of our 7th and 8th grade students would do well with a program like this. Attitude about school and needing an eduction tend to start at that age. Problems with education and academics start long before high school.
By cool car videos
November 25, 2009 5:26 PM | Link to this
we loved going through this blog, you totally knocked it out of the ballpark! I have forwarded a link to my friends, and will surely be back for update.